SHALL  I  BE 

A  DAILY  COMMUNICANT  ? 

A  CHAT  WITH  YOUNG  PEOPLE 
By  the 

Reverend  Francis  Cassilly,  S.  J. 


The  America  Press 

NEW  YORK 


Shall  I  Be 

Daily  Communicant? 


A  Chat  With  Young  People 

By  Rev.  Francis  Cassilly,  S.  J. 

Author  of  "What  Shall  I  Be  ? " 


"Give  Us  This  Day  Our  Daily  Bread.99 

—Luke  XI:8. 


Loyola  University  Press, 
1076  West  12th  Street, 
Chicago,  111. 
1915 


What  Shall  I  Be  ? 

By  the  Rev.  Francis  Cassilly,  S.J. 

The  Newest  Booklet  on  Vocation. 

Fifth  Edition— 44th  thousand 


If  you  are  interested  in  fostering  or  developing 
vocations  to  the  priesthood  or  religious  life,  help 
us  spread  this  booklet  among  the  young.  You 
could  not  make  a  more  appropriate  gift. 

*  *       *  * 

The  Rev.  John  Conway,  of  Georgetown  University,  says: 
1  'I  took  up  the  book  and  I  could  not  lay  it  down.  Every  line 
adds  to  the  charm  and  fascination.  It  is  just  what  was  want- 
ed for  student  and  teacher  to  hearten  and  enlighten  them. ' 9 

The  Rev.  Henry  Moeller,  S.J.,  writes:  "It  is  the  first  pop- 
ular book  that  brings  the  important  subject  of  vocation  to 
the  minds  of  the  young  in  its  later  and  truer  conception. ' 1 

The  Superior  of  a  Girls'  High  School  thus  expresses  her 
appreciation:  "So  much  did  its  contents  please  me  that  I  at 
once  ordered 200  copies  and  distributed  them." 

The  Rev.  William  Doyle,  S.  J.,  of  Rathfarnham  Castle, 
Dublin,  the  noted  author  of  a  popular  brochure  on  Vocations, 
says:  "Allow  me  to  congratulate  you  most  heartily  on  your 
book.  It  is  really  excellent,  clear  and  convincing,  and,  what 
pleases  me  most  of  all,  you  bring  out  forcibly  the  fact  that  a 
vocation  is  not  a  gift  intended  for  the  very  few. 99 

The  Lamp  has  this  review:  "The  book,  a  confidential  chat 
with  young  people  on  an  all-absorbing  subject,  sets  forth  in 
a  truly  fascinating  manner  sound  principles  whereby  God's 

Elan  in  regard  to  each  individual  may  be  clearly  recognized, 
cholarly  and  sane,  it  reveals  itself  as  the  book  for  distribu- 
tion by  priests  and  parents." 

*  *         *  * 

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Copyright  1915  by 
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TO  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE 
THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD 
WHO  IN  GLAD  RESPONSE 

TO  THE  VOICE  OF 
CHRIST  AND  THE  CHURCH 
AND  IN  THE  HOPE 
THAT  THEY  MAY  LIVE  FOREVER 
DAILY 

PARTAKE  OF  THE  LIVING  BREAD 
THAT  COMETH  DOWN  FROM  HEAVEN 
THIS  LITTLE  BOOK 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 
BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE 


It  J 


HEY  who  are  wont  to  lend  a  willing  ear  to 
the  direction  and  exhortation  of  the  Church, 
will  readily  appreciate  the  object  of  this  little 
book,  which  is  to  elucidate  for  the  young  the 
two  decrees  on  frequent  Communion,  dated  respec- 
tively the  twentieth  of  December,  1905,  and  the  eighth 
of  August,  1910. 

The  later  decree  contains  the  words:  "They  who 
have  care  of  children  should  make  every  effort  that, 
after  their  first  Communion,  these  children  approach 
the  Holy  Table  often  and  even  daily,  if  it  is  possible, 
as  Jesus  Christ  and  Mother  Church  desire." 

What  seems  implied  in  this  passage,  but  that  the 
Pope  and  the  framers  of  the  decree  hoped  to  attain 
what  lay  so  near  their  heart,  the  daily  Communion 
of  the  young,  mainly  through  the  co-operation  of 
priests,  parents  and  teachers?  And  in  fact  it  would 
seem  quite  evident,  that  the  Pope's  cherished  desire 
in  regard  to  the  tenderest  portion  of  his  flock,  can 
be  fully  brought  home  to  them  only  through  those 
who  have  immediate  charge  of  them. 

Beyond  doubt,  the  decrees  have  met  with  a  hearty 
response  throughout  the  world;  and  yet  no  keen  ob- 
servation is  required  to  perceive  that,  in  many  places, 
the  number  of  youthful  daily  communicants  might 


5 


PREFACE 


with  persevering  effort  be  considerably  increased; 
for  while  in  some  churches  throngs  of  children  are 
daily  seen  at  the  altar- rail,  in  others  just  as  favor- 
ably situated,  few  or  none  are  found  between  Sun- 
days. 

In  view  of  this  condition  of  affairs,  there  would 
seem,  notwithstanding  a  number  of  previous  pub- 
lications, sufficient  reason  for  this  booklet,  in  the 
hope  of  its  penetrating  to  some  hitherto  unreached 
quarter,  especially  as  different  writers  will  likely  view 
the  subject  from  varied  angles.  This  opinion  seems 
to  find  warrant,  also,  in  the  earnest  exhortation  of 
the  earlier  decree  to  wide-extended  effort:  "Let  pas- 
tors, confessors  and  preachers,  with  much  zeal  and 
insistence,  commend  to  Christians  this  so  pious  and 
salutary  practice."  The  present  treatment  is  intended 
to  make  appeal  to  a  very  definite  circle  of  readers, 
those,  namely,  of  school  age,  between  ten  or  twelve 
and  eighteen  years;  and  it  aims  to  benefit  those  who 
already  receive  daily,  as  well  as  those  who  have  not 
yet  taken  up  the  practice. 

If,  then,  this  slight  contribution  aid,  ever  so  little, 
priests  or  others  in  their  work  for  the  young;  or 
awaken,  here  and  there,  in  the  hearts  of  youthful 
readers,  a  tenderer  regard  for  their  Eucharistic  Lord 
and  a  more  generous  desire  of  His  service,  it  will 
be  its  own  ample  reward. 


Creighton  University,  Omaha 
Easter,  1915 


6 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I   Listening   9 

II   A  Letter  from  Heaven   12 

III  A  Letter  for  You   15 

IV  The  Manna   18 

V   Supping  on  the  Hillside  21 

VI   The  Last  Supper   24 

VII   The  Wish  of  the  Church  ,   27 

VIII   "Give  Us  This  Day  Our  Daily  Bread"   29 

IX   Effects  of  the  Eucharist   32 

X   Clad  in  the  Wedding  Garment   36 

XI   A  Right  Intention   40 

XII   Before  the  Feast   43 

XIII  After  the  Feast   46 

XIV  "Lord,  I  Am  Not  Worthy"   50 

XV   "People  Will  Talk  About  Me"   54 

XVI   "It  is  Hard  to  Rise  Early"   57 

XVII   "I  Make  No  Progress"   59 

XVIII   Marvels  of  the  Eucharist   62 

XIX   Becoming  a  Eucharistic  Apostle   66 

XX   Sodality  Eucharistic  Sections  or  Guilds  69 

XXI   Visiting  with  Our  Lord   72 

XXII   Confession    75 


7 


CHAPTER  I 


LISTENING 


|WAY  back  in  the  olden  time,  let  us  say  three 
thousand  years  ago,  the  boy  Samuel,  who 
had  been  ministering  all  day  to  the  Lord,  was 
deep  in  the  sleep  that  only  youth  and  inno- 
cence know.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  the  silence 
that  brooded  over  the  Temple  was  broken  by  a  call 
that  roused  the  slumberer,  who  at  once  arose  and, 
running  to  the  old  blind  priest,  Heli,  said:  "Here 
I  am,  for  thou  didst  call  me."  Heli  replied:  "I  did 
not  call;  go  back  and  sleep." 

Samuel  returned  to  his  couch,  and,  being  again 
awakened,  presented  himself  to  the  aged  priest,  who 
gave  him  the  same  answer  as  before.  A  third  time 
he  heard  the  voice,  and  Heli,  perceiving  that  the 
Lord  was  calling  the  child,  bade  him:  "Go  and 
sleep,  and  if  He  shall  call  thee  any  more,  thou  shalt 
say:  'Speak,  Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth.'  "  A 
fourth  time  "the  Lord  came  and  stood,"  and  called: 
"Samuel,  Samuel."  In  obedience  to  instructions,  the 
lad  replied :   "Speak,  Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth." 

With  bated  breath,  he  listened  in  the  solemn  still- 
ness and  heard  words  that  made  his  ears  tingle,  and 
if  you  wish  to  know  what  they  were,  you  can  read 


9 


SHALL  I   BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


them  for  yourself  in  the  first  Book  of  Kings  (iii: 
11).  They  do  not  concern  us  here,  but  what  does 
concern  us  is  the  ready  obedience  of  the  youthful 
seer,  which  made  him  rise  from  his  slumber  and  run 
to  the  priest  at  the  supposed  word  of  command. 
Are  you  always  as  eager  as  he,  gentle  reader,  to  run 
in  obedience  to  the  behest  of  your  parents  and  su- 
periors ? 

I  fancy  I  hear  someone  say:  "How  pleased  I 
should  be  to  have  God  speak  to  me  as  He  did  to 
Samuel.  Eagerly  indeed  should  I  do  His  bidding." 
Who  knows  but  God  shall  call  you  some  day?  Or 
rather  it  were  more  correct  to  say  that  He  has  fre- 
quently spoken  to  you  in  the  past,  and  will  again  do 
so  in  the  future.  "When  or  how?"  you  may  ex- 
claim, seeing  that  you  have  not  yet  reached  to  the 
exaltation  of  vision  or  ecstasy. 

God  needs  not  the  medium  of  vision  to  manifest 
His  will  and  desire  to  creatures.  On  the  first  Pen- 
tecost Sunday,  when  the  Apostles  rose  to  preach 
to  a  throng  of  Jews  from  many  nations,  Parthians, 
Medes  and  Elamites,  inhabitants  of  Asia,  Egypt  and 
Rome,  all  were  astonished  to  hear  them  speak  in  their 
own  tongues.  This  "gift  of  tongues,"  as  it  is  called, 
imparted  to  the  speaker  the  power  of  using  freely  a 
language  he  had  never  learned  (Acts  ii).  Nor  was 
this  gift  confined  only  to  the  Apostles,  but  it  has 
been  communicated  to  many  saints,  as  we  read  in 
the  lives  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  St.  Vincent  Ferrer 
and  others. 

The  Creator  also  has  a  fashion  of  speaking  to 
hearts  without  the  aid  of  words,  in  a  language  all 

10 


LISTENING 


His  own,  as  when  He  gives  us  sorrow  for  sin  or 
an  impulse  toward  right  doing  or  away  from  evil. 
Touches  of  grace  that  illumine  our  mind  or  inflame 
our  heart  are  Divine  whispers  within  the  soul. 

God  also  makes  known  His  wishes  to  man  by  the 
voice  of  those  in  authority.  He  spoke  to  the  children 
of  Israel  through  Moses,  their  appointed  leader.  He 
speaks  to  the  faithful  through  the  bishops  and  priests 
of  the  Church,  according  to  Christ's  words:  "He 
that  heareth  you,  heareth  Me,  and  he  that  despiseth 
you,  despiseth  Me"  (Luke  x:  16).  Parents  and  su- 
periors, too,  are  God's  representatives,  and  He  speaks 
to  us  by  the  words  of  their  mouth.  When  we  receive 
a  lawful  command,  it  matters  not  who  utters  it; 
we  are  just  as  sure  that  it  proceeds  from  heaven  as  if 
we  heard  the  rustle  of  the  wings  of  the  angel  who 
brought  the  message. 


ii 


CHAPTER  II 


A  LETTER  FROM  HEAVEN 


IP 


|OR  is  our  heavenly  Father  content  only  with 
speaking  to  us  directly  or  through  the  mouth 
of  others.  Having  regard  to  our  loneliness 
in  exile,  He  occasionally  sends  us  letters  from 
home.  When  absent  from  those  we  love,  what  a 
pleasure  it  is  to  receive  a  letter  from  them,  all  for 
ourselves !  How  we  gaze  at  the  postmark,  and  scruti- 
nize the  well-known  writing  on  the  envelope  before 
opening  the  letter,  wondering  meanwhile  what  de- 
lightful and  mysterious  message  lies  folded  within! 
We  hesitate  to  cut  the  wrapper  and  break  the  spell 
which  holds  us  in  such  pleasant  suspense. 

Yes,  we  all  like  to  receive  letters,  but  who  ever 
dreamed  of  getting  one  postmarked  in  heaven? 
Where  is  the  postoffice  that  transmits  such  precious 
missives?  The  story  is  told  of  St.  Bernardine  of 
Sienna,  a  preacher  of  the  Friars  Minor,  that  while 
giving  a  mission  in  Bergamo  very  few  came  to  his 
sermons.  So  one  day,  rising  before  his  small  audi- 
ence, he  said:  "Tell  all  your  friends  and  neighbors 
that  I  have  a  letter  from  heaven  which  is  directed 
to  the  people  of  Bergamo,  and  next  Sunday  I  will 
read  and  show  it  to  you.    I  want  everyone  to  come." 

The  mysterious  letter  became  the  talk  of  the  town, 
expectation  grew  feverish,  and  the  next  Sunday  an 
immense  crowd  gathered  before  the  Saint  to  hear 


12 


A  LETTER  FROM  HEAVEN 


the  message  from  heaven.  St.  Bernardine  had  writ- 
ten out  the  part  of  the  Apocalypse  of  St.  John,  re- 
ferring to  the  Church  of  Pergamus  (the  Latin  name 
of  Bergamo),  and  fashioned  it  in  the  style  of  a  letter 
with  the  seal  of  a  scribe ;  and,  slowly  unfolding  it  be- 
fore the  wondering  populace,  he  told  them  it  had 
been  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  written  by 
St.  John  to  the  Church  of  Bergamo. 

The  congregation  listened  breathlessly  to  the  read- 
ing of  the  document,  and,  in  the  sequel,  entering 
heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the  mission,  finished  it  with 
great  fervor.  One  may  be  inclined  to  smile  at  this 
successful  ruse  of  the  simple  and  ingenious  saint,  but, 
after  all,  he  fulfilled  his  promise  almost  literally. 
For,  what  are  the  writings  of  Scripture,  the  epistles 
of  St.  Paul  and  the  other  Apostles  but  letters  from 
heaven?  They  are  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  writ- 
ten at  His  dictation  and  sent  to  the  faithful. 

When  the  early  Christians  received  these  epistles, 
they  regarded  them  as  sacred,  as  communications 
from  heaven,  and,  preserving  them  with  veneration, 
handed  them  down  to  future  ages  bound  in  the  pages 
of  Holy  Writ.  And  what  can  be  said  literally  of 
the  Holy  Scripture  can  in  due  measure  be  affirmed 
of  the  encyclicals  of  the  Pope,  the  pastorals  of  the 
Bishops,  the  writings  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church, 
and  in  general  of  all  spiritual  books  and  treatises 
in  so  far  as  they  are  approved  by  Church  authority. 
For,  though  not  inspired,  they  are  designed  by  God 
as  a  solace  to  us  in  exile,  as  instruction  and  salutary 
aids  for  us  to  reach  heaven.  They  are  real  love 
missives  sent  us  from  above,  had  we  only  the  keen 
faith  to  perceive  it. 


13 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


"I  never  looked  at  spiritual  books  in  that  light," 
one  of  my  young  readers  may  exclaim.  "I  always 
regarded  the  lives  of  saints  and  similar  writings  as 
dreary  reading,  suitable  only  to  persons  advanced  in 
age  and  virtue,  and  not  meant  for  the  young.  But 
styling  them  'letters  from  home'  and  iove  missives 
from  my  heavenly  Father*  makes  them  appear  in 
quite  a  different  light." 


14 


CHAPTER  III 


A    LETTER   TO  YOU 


|E  SHOULD  all  like  to  get  a  letter  from  the 
Pope,  because  he  is  the  father  of  all  the  faith- 
ful, and  God's  highest  representative  on 
earth,  so  that  what  he  should  ask  us  to  do 
would  be  like  a  request  from  God  Himself.  But 
there  is  no  hope,  you  may  think,  of  the  Pope  ever 
writing  to  you.  Now,  what  if  I  should  tell  you  he 
has  done  so?  Pius  X,  "the  children's  Pope,"  has 
sent  two  letters  containing  a  special  message  of  affec- 
tion for  the  young,  the  first  bearing  date  of  the  twen- 
tieth of  December,  1905,  and  the  second  of  the  eighth 
of  August,  1910 — two  days  destined  to  be  memorable 
in  the  roseate  calendar  of  youth.  And  these  letters 
are  meant  for  you. 

It  is  with  the  hope  of  interesting  you  in  these 
missives  of  the  Holy  Father,  of  making  you  under- 
stand their  great  importance  for  this  life  and  the 
next,  and  also  appreciate  God's  tender  love  shown 
for  you  in  them,  that  these  pages  are  written. 

The  letter  first  published,  called  the  "decree  on 
frequent  Communion,"  says:  "Frequent  and  daily 
Communion,  as  a  thing  most  earnestly  desired  by 
Christ  Our  Lord  and  by  the  Catholic  Church,  is 
to  be  open  to  all  the  faithful,  of  whatever  class  or 
condition;  so  that  no  one  who  is  in  the  state  of 

i5 


SHALL   I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


grace,  and  approaches  the  Holy  Table  with  a  right 
and  devout  intention,  can  be  excluded  therefrom." 

The  other  decree,  on  the  age  of  first  Communion, 
contains  the  injunction:  "They  who  have  care  of 
children  should  make  every  effort  that,  after  their 
first  Communion,  these  children  approach  the  Holy 
Table  often  and  even  daily,  if  it  is  possible,  as  Jesus 
Christ  and  Mother  Church  desire,  and  that  they  do 
it  with  a  devotion  becoming  their  age.,, 

The  earlier  decree  also  contains  the  passage:  "Fre- 
quent and  daily  Communion  is  to  be  promoted  es- 
pecially in  Christian  institutions  of  every  kind  for 
the  training  of  youth." 

These  brief  extracts  show  clearly  and  unmistak- 
ably the  Pope's  wish,  and  consequently  God's  wish 
in  this  matter.  They  do  not  convey  a  command  or 
an  order,  but  a  pressing  invitation  from  God's  Vicar 
on  earth,  exhorting  all  Christians  to  frequent  and 
daily  Communion,  and  especially  urging  parents,  pas- 
tors, confessors  and  teachers  to  promote  this  prac- 
tice among  the  young  committed  to  their  care. 

Should  anyone  object  that  these  letters  are  directed, 
not  to  youthful  readers,  but  to  their  superiors,  we 
must  remember  that  we  judge  for  whom  a  letter  is 
meant  more  by  its  content  than  its  address.  And 
that  the  Pope  had  the  young  directly  in  mind  is  ap- 
parent, since  without  their  co-operation  his  wishes 
could  not  be  carried  out. 

Now,  my  dear  young  friend,  if  father  or  mother 
ask  a  favor  of  you,  you  are  only  too  eager  to  grant  it. 
And  when  God,  your  heavenly  Father,  makes  known 

16 


A   LETTER  TO  YOU 


His  good  pleasure  to  you,  through  a  letter  of  the 
Pope,  will  you  be  less  quick  and  ready  to  comply? 
You,  no  doubt,  profess  yourself  a  dutiful  child  of 
God  and  Mother  Church.  Here  is  an  opportunity  to 
test  your  earnestness  and  good  will.  You  are  not 
asked  to  perform  some  heroic  or  arduous  task,  but 
each  morning,  when  rosy  dawn  is  painting  the  east- 
ern sky,  to  come  to  the  embraces  of  your  Lord. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  loyal,  true-hearted 
young  people  throughout  the  world  have  read  these 
letters  from  heaven,  and,  as  a  result,  are  to-day 
fervent  daily  communicants.  Will  not  you,  too,  join 
this  chosen  band  of  God's  little  saints  on  earth? 
Nothing  that  you  could  do  would  please  Him  more. 
"O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  sweet"  (Ps.  xxxiii: 
9).  Come  and  learn  how  true  are  the  words:  "I 
will  go  in  to  the  altar  of  God;  to  God  Who  giveth 
joy  to  my  youth"  (Ps.  xlii:4). 


17 


f 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  MANNA 


jHE  letter  on  frequent  Communion  quotes  the 
words  of  Our  Lord:  "This  is  the  bread  that 
came  down  from  heaven;  not  as  your  fathers 
did  eat  manna  and  are  dead:  he  that  eateth 
this  bread  shall  live  forever"  (John  vi:59).  Here 
Christ  makes  reference  to  the  manna,  that  striking 
type  of  the  Eucharist  in  the  Old  Law. 

Moses  having  led  the  Israelites  out  of  the  bond- 
age of  Egypt,  they  found  themselves,  a  host  of 
millions,  in  a  desert  land  without  food.  Lacking  con- 
fidence in  the  God  who  had  repeatedly  set  nature's 
laws  at  naught  on  their  behalf,  they  murmured 
against  Moses  and  Aaron,  saying:  "Would  to  God 
we  had  died  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  when  we  sat  over  the  flesh  pots  and  ate  bread 
to  the  full.  Why  have  you  brought  us  into  this  des- 
ert, that  you  might  destroy  all  the  multitude  with 
famine?"    (Exod.  xvi:3). 

And  the  Lord,  having  regard  to  their  distress,  said 
to  Moses:  "Behold  I  will  rain  bread  from  heaven 
for  you."  And  on  the  morrow,  when  the  people 
rose,  "a  dew  lay  round  about  the  camp,"  appearing 
like  frost  glistening  upon  the  ground,  and  white  like 
coriander  seed.  The  children  of  Israel,  seeing  this 
marvel,  cried  out:    "Manhu!"  which  aieans  "What  is 

18 


THE  MANNA 


this?"  And  Moses  replied:  "This  is  the  bread  which 
the  Lord  hath  given  you  to  eat."  And,  gathering  it, 
they  ate  it,  and  the  taste  was  like  flour  mingled  with 
honey. 

Every  morning  during  the  forty  years  of  wander- 
ing in  the  desert,  the  "manna,"  as  the  people  of  Israel 
continued  to  call  it,  appeared  mysteriously  upon  the 
ground,  and  was  gathered  fresh  in  baskets  and  pails 
to  serve  as  food  for  the  day,  only  that  on  Friday  a 
double  portion  was  collected  to  last  over  the  Sabbath, 
when  none  was  to  be  found  in  the  fields.  And  what 
was  not  gathered  melted  away  in  the  heat  of  the 
rising  sun. 

Not  only  did  this  miraculous  bread  give  all  neces- 
sary sustenance  to  the  body,  keeping  it  healthy  and 
strong,  but,  according  to  the  tradition  preserved  in 
the  Book  of  Wisdom,  its  taste  varied  to  suit  the 
appetite  of  each.  To  quote  the  words  of  the  Wise 
Man:  "Thou  didst  feed  Thy  people  with  the  food 
of  angels,  and  gavest  them  bread  from  heaven  pre- 
pared without  labor;  having  in  it  all  that  is  delicious, 
and  the  sweetness  of  every  taste.  For  Thy  sus- 
tenance showed  Thy  sweetness  to  Thy  children,  and 
serving  every  man's  will,  it  was  turned  to  what  every 
man  liked"  (Wisdom  xvi:  20-21).  Whoever  then 
desired  to  partake  of  a  meal  of  fresh  meat  or  vege- 
tables, fruit  or  pastry,  had  only  to  make  his  wish, 
and  the  manna  immediately  assumed  the  savor  of  the 
dish  he  craved. 

Was  not  God  a  most  bountiful  provider  for  the 
people  He  loved,  thus  to  spread  for  them  every  day 
a  breakfast  under  the  open  sky,  without  all  the  labor 

19 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


of  plowing,  and  sowing,  and  reaping?  "And  why," 
someone  may  ask,  "does  He  not  treat  us  Christians 
as  He  did  the  Israelites  of  old?  Does  he  love  us  less7* 
And  do  we  not  equally  with  them  need  a  sustenance 
from  above  to  enable  us  to  travel  through  the  desert 
of  this  life,  amidst  the  famine  of  sin  and  tempta- 
tion, to  the  promised  land  of  heaven?" 

The  manna,  my  young  friends,  is  still  with  us;  the 
true  Bread  from  heaven,  which  descends  daily  upon 
the  altar  stone  at  the  Consecration  of  the  Mass.  He 
who  rises  before  the  sun  to  bless  God  and  comes  to 
adore  Him  "at  the  dawning  of  the  light"  (Wis. 
xvi:28),  will  find  a  banquet  ready  spread  and  far 
excelling  the  repast  prepared  for  God's  people  in  the 
desert,  since  all  who  ate  the  manna  are  dead,  but 
they  who  partake  of  the  Eucharistic  Bread  will  live 
forever. 

Come,  then,  and  buy  without  silver  or  gold;  take 
your  place  at  this  table  replete  with  delights,  and 
containing  any  spiritual  flavor  you  seek — sweetness, 
courage  or  light,  as  well  as  heavenly  nourishment 
which  will  preserve  you  unto  life  everlasting. 


20 


CHAPTER  V 


SUPPING  ON  THE  HILLSIDE 


wm 


|N  A  golden  afternoon  in  April,  Jesus,  the 
great  wonder-worker,  sat  with  His  disciples 
on  a  mountain  that  rose  from  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  A  soft  carpet  of 
vivid  green  spread  beneath  them,  extending  far  down 
to  the  glancing  waters  that  lapped  lazily  on  the  beach, 
and  overhead  white  masses  of  cloud  floated  in  the 
pale  blue  sky.  It  was  a  dream  day  of  spring,  but 
the  vast  throng  that  pressed  about  the  Master  saw 
none  of  nature's  beauties  strewn  profusely  in  cloud 
and  wave  and  shrub — they  had  eyes  and  ears  only 
for  Him  and  His  marvelous  words  and  deeds.  Why 
indeed  should  they  allow  themselves  to  be  wooed  by 
nature's  charms  away  from  nature's  God? 

All  day  had  Christ  taught  and  labored,  and  now 
that  the  shadows  of  evening  were  beginning  to  fall, 
the  disciples,  taking  concern  for  the  multitude,  came 
to  Jesus  and  asked  Him  to  dismiss  His  hearers,  that 
they  might  go  into  the  neighboring  villages  and  towns 
to  buy  themselves  food.  But  Jesus  would  not  send 
them  away  hungry  and  faint,  and  so  he  questioned 
Philip:  "Whence  shall  we  buy  bread?"  Philip  an- 
swered: "Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  is  not 
sufficient  for  them,  that  everyone  may  take  a  little** 
(John  vi:  7). 


21 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


Andrew,  the  brother  of  Simon  Peter,  thereupon 
ventured  to  remark:  "There  is  a  boy  here  that  hath 
five  barley  loaves  and  two  fishes,  but  what  are  these 
among  so  many?"  Straightway  Jesus  said:  "Make 
the  men  sit  down."  And  the  vast  crowd  of  five  thou- 
sand men,  not  counting  the  women  and  children,  sat 
upon  the  grass,  in  expectation  of  what  was  to  come, 
wondering,  no  doubt,  how,  without  provisions,  they 
were  to  sup  on  the  mountain-side. 

Jesus  then  took  the  loaves,  and  when  He  had 
given  thanks,  distributed  them.  In  like  manner  also 
were  the  fishes  served.  What  a  scene  this  to  frame 
in  the  memory,  this  supper  by  the  lake!  How  glo- 
rious a  theme  for  angelic  brush  or  pencil!  The  mul- 
titude lifted  above  the  waters  and  clinging  to  the 
verdant  mountain-side,  Jesus  in  their  midst  as  One 
Who  served;  above,  the  canopy  of  heaven,  and  the 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  touching  all  with  a  golden 
benediction. 

When  all  had  eaten  as  much  as  they  would,  Christ 
bade  His  disciples:  "Gather  up  the  fragments  that 
remain,  lest  they  be  lost."  And  twelve  baskets  were 
filled  with  the  remnants  of  the  five  loaves  and  two 
fishes,  after  the  thousands  had  dined  on  them. 

Supper  being  done,  the  crowd  dispersed  to  their 
homes,  and  the  Divine  Missionary  withdrew  to  a  re- 
tired spot  to  pray.  The  ulterior  purpose  He  had  in 
view  in  the  multiplication  of  the  loaves  He  did  not 
broach  until  the  next  day,  when  He  said  to  His  fol- 
lowers: "Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert, 
and  are  dead.  ...  I  am  the  living  Bread  which 
came  down  from  heaven.    If  any  man  eat  of  this 


22 


SUPPING   ON   THE  HILLSIDE 


Bread,  he  shall  live  forever;  and  the  Bread  that  I 
will  give  is  My  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world."  At 
this  the  Jews  murmured,  saying:  "How  can  this 
Man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat?"  But  Jesus  only 
insisted  the  more:  "Except  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the 
Son  of  Man  and  drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have 
life  in  you"  (John  vi). 

Relying  on  the  miraculous  multiplication  of  the 
loaves  as  testimony  to  the  divinity  of  His  mission, 
He  here  plainly  foretells  the  institution  and  multi- 
plication of  the  Eucharistic  Bread,  the  true  living 
Bread,  His  own  body  and  blood,  which  was  to  give 
life  to  the  world.  Though  many  of  His  hearers  re- 
fused to  believe  that  He  could  give  them  His  body 
to  eat  and,  rejecting  His  doctrine  as  a  hard  saying, 
"went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  Him,"  we 
Christians  have  the  great  privilege  of  knowing  and 
believing  that  His  promise  gave  place  to  fulfillment 
at  the  Last  Supper. 

We  are  more  favored  also  than  they  who  were 
filled  with  the  barley  loaves,  for  we  have  partaken 
often  of  the  true  living  Bread,  Christ's  body,  and 
thereupon  found  our  hope,  as  "members  of  His  body, 
of  His  flesh,  and  of  His  bones"  (Eph.  v:30),  that 
He  will  abide  in  us  and  we  in  Him,  and  that  living 
by  Hkn  we  shall  never  die. 

And  God  grant  that  so  it  may  be. 


23 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  LAST  SUPPER 

UST  a  year  after  the  multiplication  of  the 
loaves,  the  time  came  for  Jesus  to  fulfill  His 
promise  of  giving  His  disciples  "living  Bread 
from  heaven."  The  feast  of  the  Pasch  had 
arrived  and  the  disciples  asked  Jesus  where  they 
were  to  keep  it.  He  sends  two  of  them,  saying: 
"Go  ye  into  the  city,  and  there  shall  meet  you  a  man 
carrying  a  pitcher  of  water;  follow  him,  and  whither- 
soever he  shall  go  in,  say  to  the  master  of  the  house : 
'Where  is  My  refectory,  where  I  may  eat  the  Pasch 
with  My  disciples?'  And  he  will  show  you  a  large 
dining-room  furnished;  and  there  prepare  ye  for  us" 
(Mark  xiv:  13-15). 

The  disciples,  doing  His  bidding,  met  the  man  with 
the  pitcher,  and,  following  him,  entered  the  house 
and  prepared  the  supper.  They  obtained  the  year- 
ling lamb  without  blemish,  roasted  it  at  the  fire,  and 
set  the  table  with  wild  lettuce,  wine  mixed  with 
water,  and  unleavened  bread,  which  was  bread  made 
without  yeast.  This  ceremony  was  in  memory  of  the 
"Phase"  or  passage  of  the  Lord,  when  he  passed  over 
the  homes  of  the  Israelites  and  slew  the  first-born  of 
the  Egyptians,  thus  forcing  them  to  let  the  chosen 
people  depart  from  Egypt. 

It  was  also  typical  of  the  true  Paschal  Lamb,  Our 
Lord  Himself,  Who  was  to  be  slain  the  next  day  to 


THE  LAST  SUPPER 


free  the  human  race  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and 
death.  Sitting  at  the  table  with  the  twelve  disciples, 
Jesus  said:  "With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this 
pasch  with  you,  before  I  suffer.'*  And  the  reason  for 
this  consuming  desire  of  Christ  was  that  the  typical 
Paschal  Lamb  was  about  to  be  succeeded  by  the  im- 
molation of  the  true  "Lamb  of  God/'  and  the  Eu- 
charist, the  Pasch  of  the  New  Law,  was  to  be  insti- 
tuted as  a  perpetual  memory  of  Christ  and  His  pas- 
sion. 

The  legal  supper  having  been  eaten,  "Jesus  took 
bread,  and  blessed,  and  broke,  and  gave  to  His  dis- 
ciples, and  said :  'Take  ye  and  eat.  This  is  My 
Body.'  And,  taking  the  chalice,  He  gave  thanks,  and 
gave  to  them,  saying:  'Drink  ye  all  of.  this.  For 
this  is  My  Blood  of  the  New  Testament,  which  shall 
be  shed  for  many  unto  remission  of  sins'  "  (Matt, 
xxvi:  26-28).  St.  Luke  adds  Christ's  injunction: 
"Do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  Me." 

And  with  these  simple  words,  the  Eucharist  was 
instituted,  ever  to  remain  with  the  Church  until  the 
end  of  time.  And  the  Apostles  had  made  their  first 
Communion,  all  in  the  state  of  grace,  save  Judas, 
who,  if  he  had  not  already  left  the  supper-room, 
added  to  his  intended  crime  of  treason  the  sacrilege 
of  a  bad  first  Communion. 

And  from  that  day,  Christ,  body  and  blood,  soul 
and  Divinity,  has  dwelt  with  His  Church  on  earth. 
Daily,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  its  setting,  He 
descends  upon  the  altar,  ready  to  enter  into  the 
bosom  of  all  Christians  who  desire  to  receive  Him. 
At  the  Consecration  of  the  Mass  the  bread  is  changed 
into  the  Body  of  Christ,  the  same  Christ  Who  trod 

25 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


the  hills  of  Galilee,  Who  hung  upon  the  Cross,  and 
now  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  His  Father  in  heaven. 
The  dead  bread  becomes  "Living  Bread,"  to  make 
our  souls  live  and  tingle  with  the  life  of  grace. 

Always,  in  every  Catholic  church  or  chapel 
throughout  the  world,  wherever  the  little  red  light 
burns  before  the  Tabernacle,  you  can  find  your  truest 
friend,  Jesus,  waiting,  longing  for  you  to  come  and 
converse  with  Him,  to  tell  Him  your  joys  and  sor- 
rows, to  exchange  sweetest  confidences  of  love.  With- 
out the  church  or  chapel,  is  the  mad  bustle  of  the 
world  or  perhaps  the  silence  of  darkness  and  night; 
within  the  Tabernacle,  quiet,  still,  but  living  with 
intensest  life  and  power,  is  One  Who  never  sleeps, 
Who  ever  watches,  guards  and  cherishes  those  whom 
He  loves. 


26 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE   WISH   OF   THE  CHURCH 


mm 


| HEN  Mother  Church  expresses  a  wish  or  a 
command,  it  is  for  her  dutiful  children  to 
take  a  just  pride  in  showing  their  devotion 
and  loyalty  by  a  generous  compliance  wTith 
her  desire.  Now,  the  most  solemn  deliberative  body 
of  the  Church  is  an  ecumenical  council,  in  which  the 
bishops  of  all  the  world  gather  with  the  Pope  or  his 
representative  to  consult  about  the  interests  of  re- 
ligion. Amongst  the  decrees  of  the  Ecumenical 
Council  of  Trent  we  find:  "The  holy  Synod  would 
indeed  desire  that  at  every  Mass  the  faithful  who 
are  present  should  communicate,  not  only  spiritually, 
but  also  by  the  sacramental  reception  of  the  Euchar- 
ist" (Sess.  22 :  cap.  6). 

As  the  Holy  Mysteries  are  celebrated  daily  in  our 
churches,  with  doors  invitingly  open  for  all  to  enter, 
it  is  quite  evident  that  the  Fathers  of  Trent  would 
rejoice  to  see  daily  Communion  practiced  by  the 
faithful  at  large. 

We  know,  too,  that  the  early  Christians  under- 
stood daily  Communion  to  be  the  wish  of  Christ  and 
the  Church;  as  we  are  told  in  the  Acts  (ii:  42),  that 
"they  were  persevering  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Apos- 
tles and  the  communication  of  the  breaking  of 
bread" — the  expression  "breaking  of  bread"  being  the 

27 


SHALL   1   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


Scriptural  term  used  for  the  Eucharist,  in  reference 
to  Christ's  action  at  the  Last  Supper.  The  holy  Fa- 
thers of  the  Church  and  ecclesiastical  writers  also 
testify  to  the  existence  of  the  same  practice  in  the 
first  ages  of  Christianity. 

How  little  many  well-meaning  Catholics  of  our 
day  appreciate  this  earnest  desire  of  the  Church,  as 
manifested  in  its  teaching  and  the  practice  of  early 
days,  is  evident  from  the  comparatively  small  attend- 
ance at  week-day  Masses  of  those  w7ho  could  be  pres- 
ent with  but  little  inconvenience.  And  even  of  those 
who  attend  daily  Mass,  many  refrain  from  approach- 
ing the  Communion-rail,  and  that  from  motives  in- 
sufficient, if  they  only  knew  it,  to  exclude  them  from 
this  privilege. 

Hearken,  then,  my  young  friends,  to  the  voice  of 
Mother  Church;  begin  in  youth  the  practice  of  daily 
Communion,  which  will  make  you  dear  to  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  and  sprinkle  your  lives  with  the  fragrant 
odors  of  Paradise. 


28 


CHAPTER  VIII 


"GIVE  US  THIS  DAY   OUR  DAILY  BREAD" 


JO  CHRISTIAN  is  so  poorly  instructed  as  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  "Our  Father,"  which  we 
all  learn  at  our  mother's  knee,  and  which  the 
Apostles  learned  from  the  lips  of  Christ 
Himself.  One  of  the  petitions  we  make  in  it  is, 
"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 

Even  a  child  can  understand  what  this  means,  for 
every  day  the  domestic  board  is  spread  and  all  the 
children  of  the  family  gather  at  it,  to  partake  of  the 
repast  bounteously  laid  before  them  by  their  parents. 
In  fact,  children  do  not  have  to  be  taught  how  to 
make  this  petition,  for  before  learning  to  talk  they 
have  very  forcible  ways  of  letting  their  parents  know 
they  are  hungry. 

Even  saints  need  their  daily  bread.  A  pretty  story 
in  this  connection  is  told  in  the  annals  of  the  Domini- 
can Order,  which  was  founded  at  the  beginning  of 
the  thirteenth  century.  One  day  two  of  the  friars  hav- 
ing returned  without  alms  from  their  begging  quest, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  larder  for  dinner.  Father 
Dominic,  however,  had  the  signal  given  as  usual,  and 
all  the  brethren  assembled  in  the  refectory  and  said 
grace.  Suddenly  two  beautiful  young  men  appeared, 
carrying  delicious  loaves  in  white  cloths  that  hung 
from  their  shoulders,  and  beginning  at  the  lowest 


29 


SHALL  I   BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


tables,  they  served  each  friar  one  whole  loaf,  com- 
ing last  to  the  blessed  Dominic.  Then  they  bowed 
and  disappeared.  Not  a  word  was  spoken,  and  none 
ventured  to  ask  the  visitors  who  they  were  nor 
whence  they  came,  for  deep  in  his  heart  each  friar 
knew  they  were  ministering  angels  sent  from  above. 
In  silence  and  with  grateful  hearts  the  bread  from 
heaven  was  eaten,  and  for  three  days  its  remnants 
plentifully  supplied  the  community. 

We  pray  then  for  our  daily  bread,  but  the  Pope 
tells  us:  "The  holy  Fathers  of  the  Church  all  but 
unanimously  teach  that  by  this  petition  must  be  un- 
derstood, not  so  much  the  material  bread  which  is  the 
food  of  the  body,  as  the  Eucharistic  Bread,  which 
ought  to  be  our  daily  food." 

Did  we  ever  think  of  that  before?  Of  course,  we 
may  pray  for  our  temporal  needs,  but  not  with  dis- 
quietude, remembering  the  words  of  Christ,  "Be  not 
solicitous  therefore,  saying,  'what  shall  we  eat?'  or 
'what  shall  we  drink?'  or  'wherewith  shall  we  be 
clothed?'  .  .  .  For  your  Father  knoweth  that  you 
have  need  of  all  these  things"  (Matt,  vi:  31-32). 
Ask,  then,  for  your  daily  material  bread,  but  do  not 
forget  to  include  also  the  sacramental  food. 

Here  the  question  may  suggest  itself,  why  Our 
Lord  instituted  the  Eucharist  under  the  form  of 
bread.  Why,  for  instance,  did  He  not  choose  the 
element  of  flesh  meat,  which  might  be  deemed  a 
more  natural  symbol  of  His  body,  as  well  as  indica- 
tive of  the  strength  concealed  in  the  Sacrament? 
No  doubt  Infinite  Wisdom  saw  many  reasons  for 
this  preference  of  bread;  and  one  in  particular  seems 
apparent  without  very  deep  reflection. 


GIVE  US  THIS  DAY  OUR  DAILY  BREAD 


Bread  is  the  ordinary  daily  sustenance  of  man. 
The  climates  of  the  world  differ  widely  in  their  prod- 
ucts and,  as  a  result,  the  edibles  and  the  table  fare 
of  different  countries  and  localities  are  quite  dissimi- 
lar. But  of  all  articles  of  diet,  that  which  approaches 
nearest  to  universality,  and,  where  used,  to  being  the 
daily  support  of  life,  is  bread  of  wheaten  flour. 

Herein,  then,  seems  to  lurk  one  reason  why  Christ 
made  choice  of  bread  for  the  matter  of  this  Sacra- 
ment, in  preference  to  rarer  and  more  exquisite 
viands,  which  at  first  sight  might  appear  more  appro- 
priate to  its  supreme  excellence,  namely,  that  as 
bread  is  the  daily  food  of  the  body,  so  the  Eucharist 
is  intended  to  be  the  daily  nourishment  of  the  soul. 


31 


CHAPTER  IX 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  EUCHARIST 


mil 


F,  BY  the  exercise  of  a  lively  imagination,  we 
were  to  suppose  the  offer  of  an  earthly 
recompense,  say  a  goodly  sum  of  money,  to 
all  who  received  Communion,  the  probability 
is,  the  capacity  of  the  churches  would  be  taxed  to 
hold  the  crowds  that  would  flock  to  them,  neither 
rain,  snow  nor  zero  weather  being  able  to  cool  their 
suddenly-conceived  and  ardent  fervor.  Yet,  sooth  to 
tell,  there  is  such  a  promise  of  bounteous  reward  for 
each  worthy  Communion,  only  it  is  payable  not  in 
the  vile  metal  of  earth,  but  in  coin  that  is  current 
in  heaven.  We  know  that  our  reward  in  the  next 
life  will  be  directly  proportioned  to  the  grace  we  store 
up  in  our  souls  during  our  earthly  life;  and  to  in- 
crease sanctifying  grace  in  the  recipient  is  the  first 
and  primary  effect  of  the  Eucharist. 

Besides,  there  are  many  other  effects  of  this  Sac- 
rament, the  Council  of  Trent  styling  it  "the  antidote 
whereby  we  are  delivered  from  daily  faults  and  pre- 
served from  mortal  sins/'  Is  it  not  a  wondrous 
thing  to  be  preserved  from  the  death  of  sin?  In  the 
garden  of  Paradise  grew  the  marvelous  tree  of  life, 
whose  property  was  to  dower  with  immortality  the 
bodies  of  those  who  ate  of  its  fruit;  but  when  sin 
came  into  the  world  it  blasted  this  tree,  root  and 
branch,  so  that  it  will  never  grow  again.  The  Eu- 
charist, however,  has  in  a  sense  taken  its  place,  be- 
ing a  veritable  tree  of  life  with  power  to  save  the 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  EUCHARIST 


soul  from  disease  and  endow  it  with  vitality  superior 
to  death  and  time. 

Mortal  sin!  Can  anything  be  more  bitter  to  the 
repentant  sinner  than  to  revert  to  the  hour,  when 
death-dealing  sin  first  invaded  his  soul,  and  casting 
out  heaven's  light,  plunged  it  into  the  horrors  of 
guilt  and  remorse? 

But  why  this  first  mortal  sin,  and  the  viper  brood 
that  perhaps  followed  it?  Could  it  not  have  been 
prevented?  Listen  to  the  words  of  the  Pope:  "It 
happened  that  the  innocence  of  childhood,  torn  away 
from  the  embrace  of  Christ,  was  nourished  by  no  sap 
of  the  interior  life;  from  which  this  also  followed, 
that  youth,  deprived  of  a  strong  defense  and  sur- 
rounded by  so  many  snares,  lost  its  candor  and 
rushed  into  vice  before  tasting  of  the  holy  mysteries. " 
In  the  opinion,  then,  of  the  Pope,  early  Communion, 
at  the  dawn  of  reason,  after  the  sixth  birthday  and 
before  seven  years  of  age,  repeated  frequently,  even 
daily  if  possible,  will  be  a  bulwark  of  defense  to  the 
child  against  the  invasion  of  grievous  sin. 

But  to  ward  off  death  from  the  soul  is  not  the 
sole  medicinal  effect  of  the  Eucharist;  it  cures  from 
a  long  train  of  minor  diseases  that  are  ever  seeking 
to  find  lodgment  in  it.  The  just  man  is  subject  to 
many  venial  lapses  that  take  their  origin  in  the  dark- 
ness of  his  intellect  and  the  weakness  of  his  will, 
and  which  consist  in  the  rebellion  of  his  passions 
against  the  dictates  of  reason.  There  is  the  movement 
of  impatience,  the  sharp  retort,  the  self-will,  the  un- 
charitable criticism,  the  negligent  watch  over  the 
senses,  and  the  yielding  to  softness  and  ease — all 
these  ever  lurk  in  the  daily  path  of  the  virtuous. 


33 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


These  minor  faults  and  defects,  from  which  fallen 
man  can  scarce  ever  hope  to  be  entirely  free,  the 
Sacrament  of  love  cleanses  for  the  past  and  pre- 
vents for  the  future,  in  proportion  to  the  fervor  and 
earnestness  of  the  communicant.  And  even  the  tem- 
poral punishment,  due  to  sins  already  forgiven,  is 
also  burnt  away  according  to  the  intensity  of  the  fire 
of  charity  which  is  made  to  glow  in  the  soul. 

Here  we  may  remark  for  the  encouragement  and 
solace  of  the  timid  and  scrupulous,  what  divines  tell 
us,  namely,  that  if  a  person,  who  is  in  mortal  sin, 
should,  without  adverting  to  this  fact  and  with  attri- 
tion only  for  his  sin,  approach  the  Holy  Table,  it 
will  be  forgiven.  So  that  he  who  unintentionally 
received  in  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin,  will  become  a 
friend  of  God  and  pleasing  to  Him — though,  of 
course,  not  exempt  from  the  obligation  of  confess- 
ing such  a  sin,  should  he  afterwards  become  aware 
of  it  * 

Concupiscence,  too,  the  source  of  man's  most  fre- 
quent falls,  is  also  gradually  allayed  by  frequent  and 
fervent  Communion.  Fire  will  overcome  fire,  and 
the  flames  of  passion  must  needs  be  tempered  by 
the  burning  heat  of  charity;  and  thus  being  gradu- 
ally freed  from  grosser  temptation,  the  frequent  com- 
municant will  be  able  to  devote  himself  with  greater 
ardor  to  the  service  of  God. 

But  are  there  any  other  effects  of  the  Body  of 

*St.  Thomas  (Summa,  3a  pars,  quaest.  79,  art.  3)  thus  ex- 
presses this  teaching:  "This  Sacrament  can  work  remis- 
sion of  sin.  .  .  .  when  received  by  one  who  is  in  mortal 
sin  of  which  he  is  not  conscious  and  to  which  he  is  not  at- 
tached ;  for  perhaps  at  first  he  was  not  sufficiently  contrite, 
but  receiving  with  devotion  and  reverence  he  will  obtain 
through  this  Sacrament  the  grace  of  charity,  which  will  per- 
fect contrition  and  the  remission  of  sin." 

34 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  EUCHARIST 


Christ  upon  the  body  of  the  communicant?  The 
Angelic  Doctor  tells  us  how  grace  overflows  even  to 
the  body,  and  imparts  to  it  a  capacity  for  a  glorious 
resurrection;  and  the  Eucharist  is  the  great  source 
of  grace.  According  to  the  theologians,  it  so  regu- 
lates the  body  as  to  bring  it  into  restraint,  preserv- 
ing its  purity,  dominating  its  passions,  and  making 
it  worthy  of  future  glory. 

And  will  anyone  call  this  into  question,  when  he 
sees  the  depths  of  purity  glancing  from  the  clear 
eye  of  the  young  communicant,  the  serene  radiance 
that  lights  up  his  countenance,  and  the  self-control 
that  invests  his  movements  with  an  incomparable 
charm,  making  him  seem  almost  like  an  angel  flitted 
from  Paradise?  Nor  does  this  comparison  seem  so 
far-fetched,  when  we  recollect  that  man  was  orig- 
inally created  but  "a  little  less  than  the  angels"  (Ps. 
viii:6),  and  that  the  young  and  innocent  daily  com- 
municant, if  anyone,  can  be  said  to  approach  near- 
est the  state  of  original  justice. 

To  sum  up,  then,  the  effects  of  the  Eucharist,  it 
preserves  the  soul  from  the  sin  that  kills,  removes 
venial  faults  and  diminishes  their  number  for  the  fu- 
ture, giving,  oh!  so  exquisite  a  delicacy  of  con- 
science, purges  away  the  remnants  of  temporal  pun- 
ishment, infuses  an  overpowering  flood  of  grace 
which  will  be  title  to  unending  reward,  and,  reacting 
on  the  body,  purifies  it  and  prepares  it  for  a  glorious 
resurrection,  casting  around  it,  even  in  this  life,  a 
beauty  and  bloom  anticipatory  of  the  glory  to  come. 

Will  any  generous  heart,  considering  these  marvel- 
ous effects,  let  even  one  morning  of  his  life  pass 
without  feasting  on  the  Divine  Honey  at  the  Royal 
Table? 

35 


CHAPTER  X 


CLAD  IN  THE  WEDDING  GARMENT 


jHE  Holy  Congregation  of  the  Council  is  kind 
enough  to  lay  down  the  requisites  for  fre- 
quent worthy  Communion  in  the  words  be- 
fore quoted :  "So  that  no  one  who  is  in  the 
state  of  grace,  and  approaches  the  Holy  Table  with  a 
right  and  devout  intention,  can  be  excluded  there- 
from." 

We  note  that  only  two  conditions  are  laid  down — 
the  state  of  grace,  and  a  right  and  devout  intention. 
Leaving  the  latter  for  the  next  chapter,  we  may  here 
ask  ourselves  what  is  required  to  be  in  the  state  of 
grace.  Every  baptized  person  who  has  never  com- 
mitted a  mortal  sin,  or  who,  if  he  has  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  do  so,  has  repented  of  it  and  made  a  good 
confession,  is  in  the  state  of  grace. 

No  Christian,  who  realizes  the  nature  and  sanc- 
tity of  the  Sacrament,  could  think  of  receiving  the 
Body  of  Christ  while  in  grievous  sin,  for  St.  Paul 
tells  us:  "He  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily, 
eateth  and  drinketh  judgment  to  himself,  not  dis- 
cerning the  Body  of  the  Lord"  (I  Cor.  xi:29).  To 
receive  in  mortal  sin  would  be  to  give  a  traitor's  kiss 
to  Our  Divine  Friend,  to  open  our  dwelling  to  Him 
in  pretended  hospitality,  while  cherishing  deadly  hate 
against  Him  in  our  inmost  heart.    Hence  the  advice 

36 


CLAD  IN  THE  WEDDING  GARMENT 


of  the  Apostle  to  "prove"  ourselves,  meaning  thereby 
to  examine  ourselves  beforehand,  and,  if  we  find 
grievous  stain  upon  our  conscience,  to  purge  it  away 
by  confession  before  "eating  of  that  Bread." 

When  the  King  in  the  parable  made  a  marriage 
feast  for  his  son,  and  going  in  to  see  the  guests  found 
a  man  without  a  wedding  garment,  we  remember  that 
he  said  to  the  waiters:  "Bind  his  hands  and  feet, 
and  cast  him  into  the  exterior  darkness"  (Matt,  xxii: 
13).  Holy  Communion  is  the  marriage  feast  of  God 
with  our  soul,  and  unhappy  we  if  we  come  to  it 
without  the  wedding  garb  of  grace.  In  this  mystic 
espousal  we  may  be  said  to  resemble  some  of  the 
great  saints,  as  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna,  to  whom 
Christ  appeared  in  vision,  espousing  her  with  a  ring 
set  with  pearls  and  a  rich  diamond,  and  as  an  abid- 
ing token  of  the  nuptials,  He  made  the  ring,  unseen 
by  others,  ever  visible  to  her  own  eyes. 

Earnest  boys  and  girls,  who  have  the  desire  of 
communicating  frequently,  are  sometimes  deterred 
from  doing  so  by  the  fear  of  being  in  mortal  sin. 
Having  very  delicate  consciences,  they  are  so  dis- 
tressed by  every  fault  that  they  fear  it  may  make 
their  Communion  unworthy.  Young  people  of  this 
stamp  should  know  that  it  is  not  so  easy  for  one  who 
truly  fears  God  to  sin  mortally,  since  mortal  sin  re- 
quires grievous  matter,  full  knowledge  and  deliber- 
ate consent. 

Hence  the  brusque  or  pettish  word,  an  unkind  con- 
versation, slight  disobedience  and  laziness,  a  show 
of  temper,  a  lie  of  excuse,  and  even  impure 
thoughts  or  temptations,  brought  on  through  care- 
lessness, if  fought  against  and  not  fully  consented 

37 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


to  or  indulged  in,  must  be  ranked  only  as  venial  faults 
which  are  insufficient  to  keep  us  from  Communion. 
They  are  specks  on  the  shining  mirror  of  the  soul, 
and  when  Jesus  comes,  He  will  take  pleasure  in  pol- 
ishing them  away. 

This  explanation  is  given,  not  to  belittle  the  com- 
mission of  venial  sin,  but  to  encourage  the  practice 
of  frequent  Communion.  And  it  is  in  full  accord 
with  the  decree,  which  says:  "Although  it  be  highly 
expedient  for  those  who  practice  frequent  and  daily 
Communion  to  be  free  from  venial  sins,  at  least 
those  which  are  fully  deliberate,  and  from  affection 
to  them;  still  it  is  sufficient  that  they  are  free  from 
mortal  sins  and  have  the  resolve  of  never  sinning 
(grievously)  in  future;  by  which  sincere  determina- 
tion of  mind,  it  cannot  but  happen  that  communicat- 
ing daily  they  will  gradually  emancipate  themselves 
also  from  venial  faults  and  affection  to  them.,, 

Young  communicants  then  should  have  a  great  hor- 
ror of  venial  sin,  especially  when  fully  deliberate,  as 
it  is  the  greatest  evil  in  the  world  next  to  mortal  sin; 
though  this  aversion  should  not  lead  them  to  ab- 
stain from  Communion,  but  rather  to  approach  often 
in  the  hope  of  getting  grace  and  help  to  overcome 
their  faults.  In  the  revelations  of  St.  Gertrude,  who 
lived  in  Saxony,  during  the  latter  half  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  we  read  that  a  certain  person  blamed 
those,  who,  she  thought,  approached  the  Holy  Table 
with  too  little  preparation,  and  thus  she  rendered  them 
so  fearful  that  they  remained  away  from  Communion. 
Our  Lord  was  so  displeased  with  this  rigorous  view 
that  He  complained  to  the  saint:  "All  who,  by  their 
words  or  persuasions,  drive  away  those  who  are  not  in 
mortal  sin,  and  thus  hinder  and  interrupt  the  delight 

3* 


CLAD  IN  THE   WEDDING  GARMENT 


which  I  find  in  them  act  like  a  severe  master,  who  for- 
bids the  children  of  the  king  to  speak  to  those  of  their 
own  age  who  may  be  poor  or  beneath  them  in  rank,  be- 
cause he  considers  it  more  correct  that  his  pupils 
should  receive  the  honor  due  to  their  dignity  than  to 
permit  them  this  enjoyment." 

But  there  is  still  one  teasing  thought,  which  is  ex- 
ceedingly distressing  to  fervent  hearts,  namely,  uncer- 
tainty. "I  am  not  sure,"  they  say,  "perhaps  the  matter 
was  serious,  or  perhaps  I  gave  consent  to  a  grievous 
temptation."  Such  timorous  souls  should  take  heart  of 
grace,  remembering  that  it  is  as  impossible  for  one 
who  is  trying  to  lead  a  sincere  and  devout  life,  to  com- 
mit a  mortal  sin  without  knowing  it,  as  it  would  be  to 
fall  into  an  icy  pool  and  not  feel  the  chill.  A  fast  and 
habitual  friend  of  God  cannot  turn  his  back  on  Him, 
and  desert  to  the  enemy,  without  intending  and  know- 
ing it. 

"But  I  cannot  take  the  risk  of  offending  God  by  a 
sacrilegious  Communion,"  an  over-cautious  person 
may  insist.  You  take  no  risk  whatever  when  you  are 
not  certain  or  fully  conscious  of  having  sinned  mor- 
tally, for  a  really  doubtful  sin  cannot  impose  a  certain 
obligation  to  abstain.  It  is  sufficient  for  a  person  in 
these  circumstances  to  make  an  act  of  contrition  or 
even  attrition,  and  then  approach  the  Holy  Table  with 
all  devotion  and  confidence. 

If  this  explanation  does  not  satisfy  you,  and  your 
timidity  still  remains,  expose  your  difficulty  to  a  pru- 
dent confessor,  and  if  he  advises  you  to  disregard  un- 
warranted hesitancy  and  doubt,  and  you  refuse  to 
abide  by  his  counsel,  you  will  deliberately  deprive 
yourself  by  your  obstinacy  of  closer  union  and  inti- 
macy with  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist. 

39 


CHAPTER  XI 


A  RIGHT  INTENTION 


|CCORDING  to  the  decree,  we  must  also  have 
a  right  intention  in  receiving  Communion; 
and  as  an  explanation  is  there  given  of  this 
right  intention,  we  are  fortunately  not  left 
to  guess  at  its  meaning.  "A  right  intention/'  says  the 
decree,  "consists  in  this,  that  he  who  approaches  the 
Holy  Table  does  so  not  through  routine  or  vanity  or 
human  respect,  but  out  of  a  desire  to  please  God,  to 
be  more  closely  united  to  Him  in  charity  and  to  apply 
that  Divine  remedy  to  his  infirmities  and  defects. 99 

Here  we  observe  that  the  motives  mentioned  as  good 
and  salutary,  are  in  agreement  with  the  object  and  pur- 
port of  this  Sacrament  as  laid  down  by  theologians, 
who  tell  us  its  effect  is  to  give  an  increase  of  sanctify- 
ing grace,  which  in  turn  unites  us  more  closely  to  God, 
renders  us  more  pleasing  to  Him,  and  accompanied  by 
actual  graces  enables  us  to  rise  superior  to  human 
frailties  and  defects. 

If  then  we  purpose  in  Communion  to  do  what  Christ 
intended  in  the  institution  of  this  Sacrament,  our 
motive  is  supernatural  and  laudable.  Nor  is  it  neces- 
sary to  recall  explicitly  and  separately  all  the  ends  in- 
tended by  Christ,  an  implicit  intention  being  sufficient, 
provided  one  has  some  definite  supernatural  motive, 


40 


A  RIGHT  INTENTION 


such  as  to  please  God,  to  acquire  merit  or  an  increase 
of  grace,  or  to  overcome  his  faults. 

In  fact,  even  the  desire  to  obtain  some  temporal 
favor,  such  as  restoration  to  health,  success  in  study  or 
the  securing  of  employment,  which  may  lead  one  to 
frequent  Communion,  is  not  an  unbecoming  or  un« 
worthy  extrinsic  motive,  provided  the  recipient  is  fer- 
vent and  intends  to  please  God.  For  after  all,  one  of 
the  purposes  Providence  has  in  view  in  allowing  us  to 
suffer  hardship  and  distress,  is  to  force  us  to  have 
recourse  to  Him  in  prayer  and  the  sacraments,  and 
thus  draw  us  closer  to  Him,  and  supernaturalize  our 
lives  and  actions. 

Mere  natural  or  human  motives,  however,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  supernatural,  are  not  sufficient  to  justify 
frequent  Communion.  To  receive  solely  through  habit 
or  custom  or  because  others  do  so,  without  any  effort 
to  excite  within  ourselves  a  proper  appreciation  of  the 
Sacrament  and  a  becoming  fervor,  would  be  reprehen- 
sible. This  of  course  does  not  mean  that  the  habit  of 
frequent  Communion  is  wrong.  Indeed,  it  is  this  very 
habit  that  we  are  bid  to  acquire.  But  habit  merging 
into  routine,  dull  and  cold,  and  void  of  love  and  devo- 
tion, merits  rebuke. 

For  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  matter,  we  may 
add  that  in  this,  as  in  most  good  actions,  mixed  motives 
may  prevail.  One  who  attends  Mass  on  Sunday  to 
fulfill  the  precept  of  the  Church,  and  at  the  same  time 
takes  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  display  a  new 
suit  or  hat,  performs  a  good  and  meritorious  work, 
though  marring  its  excellence  by  his  vanity.  Thus  an 
action  may  at  the  same  time  be  partly  good  and  partly 
bad,  when  namely  it  springs  from  both  good  and  evil 


41 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


motives,  and  it  will  be  chiefly  good  or  bad,  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  principal  motive  which  prompts  it. 

From  this  we  gather  that  mere  routine  or  habit  of 
itself  does  not  make  a  Communion  sacrilegious,  since 
it  does  not  exclude  the  ends  intended  by  Christ;  but 
the  lack  of  due  reverence  and  attention  implied  in  it 
certainly  impedes  to  a  great  extent  the  effects  of  the 
Sacrament. 

What  then  is  a  person  to  do,  who  feels  cold  and 
sluggish  at  Communion,  and  fears  that  he  is  com- 
municating merely  from  routine  or  human  respect — 
remain  away?  That  would  certainly  be  an  unfortu- 
nate remedy.  Does  one  who  is  chilled  stay  away  from 
the  fire?  Would  it  not  be  better  for  one  who  lacks 
fervor  to  stir  up  the  dormant  embers  of  charity  within 
his  soul,  purify  his  motives,  and  excite  himself  by 
prayer  and  reflection  to  a  lively  appreciation  of  the 
benefits  of  Communion?  Let  him  do  this,  and  at  the 
same  time  stifle  or  pay  no  heed  to  the  promptings  of 
inferior  motives. 

Whoever  then  receives  Communion  out  of  any 
supernatural  motive,  intending  in  general  what  Christ 
purposed  in  this  Sacrament,  and  at  the  same  time  over- 
comes or  rejects  imperfect  motives,  need  have  no  fear 
of  becoming  a  daily  communicant.  The  Sacrament  of 
itself  and  by  its  own  power,  will  gradually  work  the 
purification  of  his  heart,  and  render  him  daily  more 
and  more  worthy  of  its  reception. 


42 


CHAPTER  XII 


BEFORE  THE  FEAST 


jOW  should  we  prepare  ourselves  before  Com- 
munion? The  decree  tells  us:  "Since  the 
sacraments  of  the  New  Law  produce  a 
greater  effect  in  proportion  to  the  better 
disposition  of  the  recipient,  care  must  therefore  be 
taken  that  Holy  Communion  be  preceded  by  diligent 
preparation,  and  followed  by  a  suitable  thanksgiving, 
according  to  each  one's  strength,  circumstances  and 
duties." 

When  a  king  or  bishop  or  other  person  of  prom- 
inence and  distinction  is  to  pay  a  visit,  the  host  is 
solicitous  for  days  or  weeks  beforehand  to  clean  and 
adorn  his  house,  to  prepare  the  guest  chamber,  and 
do  all  in  his  power  to  show  his  hospitality.  The  fer- 
vent communicant  will  surely  not  do  less  to  make 
ready  his  soul  and  beautify  it  with  all  virtues,  in  prepa- 
ration of  the  visit  from  his  Eucharistic  God. 

St.  Aloysius  is  said  to  have  spent  all  his  time  be- 
tween Communions,  partly  in  thanksgiving  for  the  last 
and  partly  in  anticipation  of  the  next.  "Were  I  to 
spend  a  hundred  years  in  preparation,"  said  another 
saint,  "I  should  never  be  ready,  seeing  that  I  have 
absolutely  nothing  of  my  own  which  could  serve,  how- 
ever inadequately,  as  a  fitting  preparation  for  so  great 
a  Sacrament/' 


43 


SHALL   I   BE   A    DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


There  is  first  of  all  the  remote  disposition  of  the 
soul,  which  consists  in  leading  a  good  Christian  life, 
devoted  to  home  and  school  duties,  and  free  fxom 
dissipation  and  worldliness.  Industry,  docility  and 
self-control  must  ever  be  the  watchword  of  Christian 
youth. 

Granted  that  the  young  communicant  is  leading  an 
industrious  and  well-tempered  life,  boyish  if  you  will, 
but  at  least  earnest,  he  will  desire  to  know  what  sort 
of  immediate  preparation  is  expected  of  him.  God 
is  not  so  exacting  in  His  demands  as  men  often  are, 
and  having  regard  to  the  undevelopment  of  young 
people  and  their  inaptitude  for  lengthy  prayer,  He 
will  be  satisfied  with  very  little,  provided  that  little  is 
fervent  and  from  the  heart. 

The  sincere  communicant,  before  retiring  on  the  eve 
of  a  Communion  day,  will  call  to  mind  the  great  event 
of  the  early  morrow,  and  briefly  examining  his  con- 
science, excite  himself  to  sorrow  for  his  faults,  and 
then  call  upon  his  special  patron  saints  to  assist  him 
in  making  ardent  acts  of  love  and  desire.  On  rising 
he  should  occupy  himself  with  the  great  action  he  is 
to  perform,  and  on  the  way  to  church  try  to  keep  the 
thought  of  it  before  him. 

Beyond  a  doubt,  however,  the  best  possible  immedi- 
ate preparation  for  Communion,  is  to  assist  devoutly 
at  the  Mass  at  which  one  receives ;  and  any  young  per- 
son who  does  this,  can  practically  be  said  to  have  done 
all  that  is  required  of  him.  The  Mass  is  the  great 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  commemorative  of  Our  Lord's 
death  and  passion,  and  through  it  His  merits  are  ap- 
plied to  our  souls.    The  priest's  Communion  is  an 


44 


BEFORE    THE  FEAST 


integral  part  of  the  Sacrifice,  and,  according  to  the 
Council  of  Trent,  when  the  faithful  receive,  they  ob- 
tain greater  fruit  from  the  Sacrifice.  (Sess.  22  :c.  6.) 

All  the  prayers  used  by  the  priest  at  Mass  are  ad- 
mirably chosen  to  prepare  priest  and  people  for  the 
proper  reception  of  the  Sacrament.  In  fact,  these 
prayers  are  a  compendium  of  Catholic  doctrine,  and  a 
very  complete  expression  of  the  needs  and  wants  of 
the  soul;  so  that  a  most  excellent  way  to  prepare  for 
Communion,  is  to  unite  oneself  to  the  priest  and  the 
Church  by  reading  the  Ordinary  and  Proper  of  the 
Mass. 

Many  prefer  to  follow  the  Mass  by  mental  prayer 
and  meditation,  making  fervent  acts  in  keeping  with 
the  various  parts  of  the  Sacrifice,  but  younger  per- 
sons, as  yet  unaccustomed  to  this,  may  find  it  easier 
to  curb  the  restlessness  of  the  imagination  by  fixing  the 
attention  on  the  printed  page,  adding  from  time  to 
time  ardent  aspirations  of  love,  humility  and  petition. 

Should  it  happen  that  one  receives  outside  of  Mass, 
at  least  a  quarter  of  an  hour  should  be  spent  in 
suitable  prayers  and  acts  of  devotion  preparatory  to 
the  entrance  of  the  Lord  Jesus  into  his  heart.  To 
sum  up  the  chapter,  we  may  say,  with  the  decree,  that 
a  becoming  and  sufficient  preparation  for  Communion 
is  required,  according  to  the  age  and  circumstances 
of  the  recipient,  and  the  better  and  more  devout  this 
preparation,  the  more  abundant  will  be  the  fruits  of 
the  Communion.  And  the  excellence  of  this  prepara- 
tion, remember,  depends  far  more  on  its  intensity  of 
love  and  fervor  than  on  the  length  of  time  given  to  it. 


45 


CHAPTER  XIII 


AFTER  THE  FEAST 


|T  the  moment  of  Communion,  our  attention 
and  devotion  should  be  closely  fixed  on  the 
Divine  object  of  our  affection,  and  every 
effort  made  to  keep  away  distractions.  In 
this  we  can  the  more  readily  succeed,  if  we  strive  to 
realize  that  God  is  now  within  us,  and  a  radiant  host 
of  ministering  angels  are  hovering  about  us. 

And  how  shall  we  address  our  heavenly  visitor, 
what  words  shall  we  speak  to  Him?  Can  His  ear, 
attuned  to  the  chant  of  angels,  listen  to  the  barbarous 
I  accents  of  human  speech  ?  Words  are  not  really 
needed,  they  fail  before  the  emotion  of  a  love-charged 
heart,  which  knows  a  language  all  its  own,  heaven- 
taught  and  understood  only  of  lover  and  Beloved. 

But,  to  be  practical,  we  may  learn  from  the  saints 
many  ways  and  devices  of  making  our  thanksgiving 
fruitful.  First,  we  may  offer  to  our  Divine  Guest 
all  we  have  and  are,  praying  Him  to  abide  as  owner 
of  our  soul  and  body,  to  consider  as  His  own  our  will, 
memory,  understanding  and  five  senses,  only  deigning 
in  return  to  lend  them  to  us  for  hallowed  use  and 
trust.  We  may  ask  Him  to  exchange  hearts  with  us, 
so  that  He  may  love  what  we  love,  and  we  may  find 
delight  only  in  what  pleases  Him. 

As  a  child  to  its  father,  we  may  confide  to  Him  our 

46 


AFTER   THE  FEAST 


hopes,  desires  and  aspirations,  and  disclosing  our 
trials,  difficulties  and  temptations,  throw  ourselves  into 
His  protecting  arms,  where  we  shall  be  safe  and  secure 
from  harm. 

Then  we  may  become  beggars  at  His  feet,  empty- 
handed,  clad  in  rags  and  entreating  an  alms  from  His 
munificence.  Acknowledging  His  power  to  change 
pauper  into  king,  let  us  make  known  our  extreme  pov- 
erty, our  lack  of  virtue,  our  utter  helplessness  and  need, 
and  beseech  Him  to  adorn  our  soul  with  every  gift  that 
may  make  us  worthy  of  His  presence.  And  now  is 
the  time  to  ask  favors  for  all  who  are  dear  to  us,  par- 
ents, friends  and  teachers,  to  pray  for  the  Church,  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  and  the  sanctification  of  His 
elect.  Let  our  life-long  petition  for  ourselves  be  that 
we  may  not  put  any  obstacle  in  the  way  of  His  grace, 
and  that  we  may  accomplish  in  this  life  the  work 
Providence  has  allotted  us  to  do.  Let  us  not  fear  to 
ask  too  much,  for  we  cannot  exhaust  God's  treasure- 
house,  and  the  more  we  ask,  and  with  the  greater  in- 
sistence, the  more  is  He  pleased. 

We  can  vary  our  colloquies  of  affection  in  other 
ways,  by  addressing  Christ  as  the  great  and  all-power- 
ful physician,  who  by  His  mere  word  can  restore  to 
us  the  flush  of  health.  Let  us  expose  to  Him  all  the 
diseases  of  our  soul,  our  pride,  vanity,  selfishness  and 
sensuality,  our  laziness  and  weakness  of  will,  asking 
Him  to  apply  to  them  the  touch  of  His  healing  hand. 

Then,  turning  to  Him  as  our  most  intimate  friend, 
we  may  unfold  secrets  that  we  can  scarce  trust  or 
bring  ourselves  to  breathe  to  any  earthly  being.  There 
are  depths  in  the  soul  which  friendship  of  earth, 


47 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


even  the  most  close  and  sacred,  cannot  reach  or  under- 
stand. But  Jesus  will  sympathize  with  us  in  every- 
thing, great  or  small,  will  enter  into  all  our  hopes  and 
fears.  Let  us  ask  for  present  help  and  future  guid- 
ance, and  offer  to  make  any  sacrifice  He  may  be 
pleased  to  require  of  us,  even  going  so  far  as  to  peti- 
tion for  trials  and  suffering,  that  in  them  we  may 
show  our  love  and  fidelity  and  the  more  resemble 
Him  who  suffered  so  much  for  us. 

Holy  persons  also  teach  us  to  make  use  at  this 
sublime  moment  of  the  sacred  wounds  in  the  hands 
and  feet  and  side  of  Our  Lord,  asking  by  the  merits 
of  each  some  particular  virtue  or  gift,  faith,  hope, 
humility,  final  perseverance,  obedience  or  charity.  Or 
in  each  wound  we  may  place  some  special  person  or 
class  of  persons,  our  parents,  friends,  sinners,  infidels, 
the  Church,  reserving  for  ourselves  the  refuge  of  His 
Sacred  Heart. 

When  our  devotion  begins  to  flag,  we  can  have 
recourse  to  a  good  prayer-book,  reciting  the  prayers 
after  Communion.  And  here  comes  the  practical 
question,  how  much  time  should  we  spend  in  thanks- 
giving. One  is  prompted  to  reply,  as  long  as  we  feel 
devotion,  since  these  are  precious  moments  not  to  be 
wasted.  Still  we  must  remember  that  young  people 
have  their  duties  to  perform  both  at  home  and  school, 
and  not  even  the  promptings  and  allurements  of  piety 
must  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  duty. 

A-  good  working  rule  for  the  length  of  thanks- 
giving is  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  whether  computed 
from  the  moment  of  Communion  or  from  the  end 
of  Mass.     If  any  find  this  too  burdensome,  they 

48 


AFTER   THE  FEAST 


should  at  least  endeavor  to  spend  five  or  ten  minutes 
in  prayer  after  Mass,  for  the  graces  and  favors  to  be 
obtained  at  this  time  are  beyond  all  we  can  imagine. 
But  as  there  is  no  real  obligation  for  a  communicant 
to  remain  after  Mass,  a  young  person  who  is  willing 
to  practice  daily  Communion  and  yet  is  loath  thus 
to  prolong  his  thanksgiving,  should  not  for  this  reason 
be  dissuaded  or  discouraged  from  approaching  the 
Holy  Table. 

The  time  well  spent  from  the  Communion  to  the 
end  of  Mass  will  do  much  to  purify  the  soul,  and 
Almighty  God  does  not  require  long  prayers  from 
the  young.  He  is  satisfied  with  innocence,  good  will 
and  short  prayers,  if  only  they  are  fervent;  and  we 
may  hope  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  gradually  increase 
and  develop  in  them  a  sense  of  maturer  piety  and 
devotion. 


49 


CHAPTER  XIV 


"LORD,  I  AM  NOT  WORTHY" 


ml 


| ANY  a  young  person,  innocent  and  devout,  is 
deterred  from  frequent  Communion  by  the 
fear  of  his  own  unworthiness.  He  reasons 
within  himself :  "How  can  I,  who  am  guilty 
of  so  many  faults  and  negligences,  so  slothful  in  the 
discharge  of  duty,  and  prone  to  the  good  things  of 
earth,  how  can  I  dare  approach  the  God  of  all  purity 
and  perfection,  and  receive  Him  daily  within  my 
breast?  To  merit  such  a  privilege  I  should  have  the 
holiness  of  a  seraph  or  a  saint,  and  I  am  neither." 

This  is  a  sentiment  natural  and,  within  bounds, 
creditable  to  the  soul,  and  one  felt  by  all  the  saints; 
but  when  invited  pressingly  to  the  embraces  of  In- 
finite Love,  we  must  beware  of  turning  away,  through 
any  motive  however  praiseworthy  in  itself.  Humility 
is  a  great  virtue,  but  it  is  not  the  only  one.  Child- 
like confidence,  trust  and  docility  also  have  a  claim  on 
us,  and  when  united  with  a  lowly  esteem  of  self, 
make  us  surpassingly  dear  to  the  Heart  of  Our  Sav- 
iour. The  Blessed  Virgin  knew  herself  infinitely  un- 
worthy of  becoming  God's  Mother,  yet  this  did  not 
prevent  her  accepting  this  sublime  dignity  when  prof- 
fered by  the  angel. 

Deep  too  was  the  humility  of  the  Canaanite  woman, 
but  it  did  not  prevent  her  begging  at  Jesus'  feet  for 
the  cure  of  her  daughter.    Receiving  the  crushing 

50 


'LORD,  I  AM  NOT  WORTHY' 


reply :  "It  is  not  good  to  take  the  bread  of  the  chil- 
dren and  cast  it  to  the  dogs,"  she  only  urged  with 
greater  insistence:  "Yea,  Lord,  for  the  whelps  also 
eat  of  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  the  table  of  their 
masters."  This  humility,  combined  with  faith  and 
confidence,  Jesus  could  not  resist,  and  He  paid  her 
the  glowing  tribute:  "O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith; 
be  it  done  to  thee  as  thou  wilt,"  and  in  that  hour 
her  daughter  was  cured  (Matt,  xv:  22-28). 

Why  did  Christ  institute  the  Eucharist?  as  a  reward 
of  virtue,  or  to  produce  it?  Listen  to  the  decree, 
which  tells  us  that  "the  desire  of  Christ  and  the 
Church  for  the  daily  Communion  of  the  faithful, 
.  .  .  is  not  principally  to  secure  the  honor  and 
worship  of  the  Lord,  nor  to  make  the  Sacrament, 
as  it  were,  a  reward  or  recompense  of  the  virtuous;" 
but  "chiefly  that  the  faithful  may  draw  strength  from 
it  to  resist  their  sensual  passions,  to  wash  away  daily 
faults,  and  prevent  those  graver  sins  to  which  human 
frailty  is  liable." 

Here  the  saying  of  St.  Augustine,  "Because  you  sin 
daily,  communicate  daily;"  which  the  Catechism  of 
the  Council  of  Trent  tells  us  expresses  the  sentiment 
of  all  the  Fathers  who  have  written  on  the  subject,  is 
very  appropriate.  The  argument  of  the  holy  Doctor 
is,  that  frequent  minor  offenses,  instead  of  deterring 
from  frequent  Communion,  afford  the  best  of  reasons 
for  it.  Pursuing  his  line  of  thought,  we  may  add 
that  the  more  frequent  and  serious  our  venial  lapses, 
the  more  urgent  is  the  need  of  their  daily  remedy — 
Holy  Communion. 

But  surely,  some  one  may  object  with  the  Jan- 
senists  of  the  past,  the  greatest  reverence  and  honor 

5i 


SHALL   I   BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


are  due  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  how  shall  this 
be  secured,  if  admission  to  it  is  thus  thrown  open  to 
the  many?  They  who  reason  thus  forget  that  all  the 
sacraments  are  instituted  for  men,  and  just  because 
they  are  men  beset  with  human  frailty  and  imper- 
fections. Were  men  angels,  they  would  not  need 
sacraments  nor  sacramental  symbols.  Hence,  to  se- 
cure reverence  was  not  so  much  Christ's  object  in 
instituting  them,  as  to  benefit  souls. 

In  fact,  had  Christ  aimed  principally  at  securing 
adoration  and  worship  in  instituting  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Altar,  would  He  have  chosen  such  lowly  sym- 
bols as  bread  and  the  juice  of  the  grape?  What  is 
more  common  and  ordinary  than  bread?  Does  not 
then  the  action  of  Divine  Wisdom,  in  selecting  it 
for  the  matter  of  the  Eucharistic  Sacrament,  lead  us 
to  surmise  that  as  bread  is  not  a  luxury  in  the  house- 
hold, but  an  article  of  daily  necessity,  so  too  the 
Bread  of  the  Altar  is  meant  primarily  for  the  daily 
use  and  nourishment  of  the  soul? 

Neither  is  mere  bread  considered,  in  the  common 
estimation  of  men,  the  special  reward  of  merit  or 
exertion.  Money  and  jewels,  broad  acres,  herds  and 
flocks,  are  reckoned  among  the  material  prizes  of 
earth;  but  bread,  never.  Bread  is  the  common  dole 
of  all,  the  babe  in  arms,  the  fettered  slave  and  the 
knight  who  is  blazoned  with  many  a  trophy. 

Must  we  not  then  rightfully  conclude  that  in  hid- 
ing His  Divinity,  nay  even  His  humanity  under  the 
appearance  of  bread,  Divine  Wisdom  desired  to  en- 
tice all  to  approach  Him  without  dread,  or  timidity? 
Who  would  be  daunted  or  fearful  in  the  presence  of  a 
tiny  wafer?    Evidently  Jesus  had  no  intention  to 

52 


"LORD,  I  AM  NOT  WORTHY 


repel  from  Him  all  but  the  holiest;  but  rather  to 
attract  all,  that  He  might  make  them  holy. 

Let  us  then  take  care  not  to  refrain  from  Com- 
munion on  account  of  excessive  or  false  humility. 
We  remember  how,  in  the  parable  of  the  supper, 
the  invited  guests  declined  to  come  on  a  variety  of 
pretexts,  one  because  he  had  bought  a  farm  and  must 
go  out  to  see  it,  another  because  he  wished  to  try  some 
newly  acquired  oxen,  and  a  third  because  he  had  just 
married  a  wife.  The  master  of  the  feast,  growing 
angry  at  these  frivolous  excuses,  resolved  that  none  of 
these  ungrateful  guests  should  taste  of  his  supper; 
and  we  too  must  beware  lest  vain  and  trifling  reasons 
keep  us  from  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  draw  upon 
us  the  reproach  of  Him  who  said :  "Except  you 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man  and  drink  His  blood, 
you  shall  not  have  life  in  you"  (John  vi:  54). 


53 


CHAPTER  XV 


"people  will  talk  about  me  " 


I  ORE  than  one  young  friend,  to  whom  the  writer 
suggested  frequent  Communion,  has  replied  in 
the  words  that  head  this  chapter.  "No  one  in 
our  parish  now  receives  Communion  daily," 
such  a  one  will  object,  "and  if  I  begin,  others  will  re- 
mark me  and  perhaps  make  comment  on  my  general 
conduct,  especially  if  they  think  it  not  in  keeping  with 
the  frequency  of  my  Communions.,,  Another  will  ex- 
press the  same  thought  in  the  words,  "I  am  not  a 
saint,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  pose  as  one." 

As  explained  in  the  last  chapter,  daily  Communion 
is  meant  for  sinners  as  well  as  saints,  and  the  fact 
that  a  person  practices  it,  is  not  necessarily  evidence 
of  great  sanctity,  but  only  that  he  has  an  earnest  de- 
sire of  becoming  pleasing  to  God.  This  whole  ob- 
jection springs  from  human  respect,  to  which  the 
young  are  just  as  subject  as  grown  people  and  per- 
haps more  so.  It  is  the  old  story  of  moral  cowardice, 
which,  hindering  us  from  doing  right  to  please  God, 
knpels  us  rather  to  omit  the  good  or  do  wrong  in 
the  hope  of  pleasing  men. 

Young  people  cannot  learn  too  early  to  be  inde- 
pendent of  the  judgments  of  men,  and  to  follow  the 
dictates  of  conscience  and  grace,  irrespective  of  what 
others  may  say  or  think.   We  must  begin  in  childhood 

54 


PEOPLE   WILL   TALK  ABOUT  ME 


to  build  up  a  strong  character,  choosing  rather  to  lead 
in  well-doing  than  to  follow  the  beaten  path  in  serv- 
ility to  the  opinions  of  others. 

People  will  gossip  about  us  anyhow,  no  matter 
what  we  do,  and  we  may  as  well  give  them  the  chance 
to  say  something  good  about  us  as  something  unfav- 
orable. The  doctrine  of  Jesus  is  clear  and  pro- 
nounced on  this  point.  "Every  one  therefore  that 
shall  confess  me  before  men,"  He  tells  us,  "I  will 
also  confess  him  before  My  Father  who  is  in  heaven" 
(Matt.  x:32).  And  again  He  says:  "He  that  shall 
be  ashamed  of  Me  and  My  words,  of  him  the  Son 
of  Man  shall  be  ashamed,  when  He  shall  come  in  His 
majesty"  (Luke  ix:26).  If  then  we  do  not  wish 
Christ  to  be  ashamed  of  us,  neither  must  we  be 
ashamed  to  practice  what  He  teaches. 

Words  too  are  but  harmless  feathered  shafts,  with- 
out barbs,  that  hurtle  through  the  air,  and  do  not 
injure  even  if  they  strike  us.  What  is  said  about  us 
has  no  sting  to  it;  it  is  rather  a  forced  tribute  of 
admiration  to  our  courage  and  fearlessness.  The 
feeling,  too,  we  have  of  being  noted  and  criticised  is 
often  only  the  creation  of  our  own  sensitiveness;  the 
good  people  who  see  us  being  in  reality  highly  edified 
and  delighted  at  our  piety.  And  besides,  if  we  show 
the  way,  others  may  be  encouraged  to  imitate  our  good 
example,  which  will  be  the  best  possible  thing  that 
could  happen  both  for  them  and  for  us. 

And  which  would  you  rather  have — the  admiration 
of  men  or  angels?  It  was  revealed  to  one  of  the 
saints  that  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  take  special  de- 
light in  a  soul  after  Communion,  coming  to  congratu- 
late it,  as  a  bride  on  her  wedding  day.    Heed  not 


55 


SHALL   I   BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


fthen  the  fickle  comment  of  men,  which  lauds  to-day 
what  yesterday  it  flouted,  but  when  your  Saviour 
calls,  run  to  His  embraces  as  a  child  to  its  mother's 
arms,  recking  naught  what  the  world  may  say. 

Here  we  may  consider  a  remark  sometimes  made, 
that  it  is  better  to  train  the  young  only  to  what  they 
will  likely  keep  up  in  after  life,  and  as  grown  people 
seldom  aim  at  more  than  monthly  Communion,  so  this 
too  should  be  the  limit  of  frequency  for  the  young. 
This  evidently  unsound  argument  for  infrequent  Com- 
munion is  not  worth  more  than  a  passing  notice,  as,, 
if  logically  carried  out,  it  would  kill  all  youthful  gen- 
erosity and  enthusiasm. 

Moreover,  great  numbers  of  grown  people  receive 
weekly  and  even  daily  Communion,  and  the  more  this 
habit  is  fostered  in  the  young,  the  more  it  will  flourish 
amongst  those  of  advanced  years,  according  to  the 
words  of  Holy  Writ,  "As  the  days  of  thy  youth,  so 
also  shall  thy  old  age  be"  (Deut.  xxxiii:25).  Habits 
of  virtue  acquired  in  tender  years  will  endure  in  riper 
age,  and  should  the  soul  unfortunately  experience  a 
season  of  spiritual  coldness,  the  memory  of  happier 
days,  combined  with  the  waning  of  earthly  attrac- 
tions, will  be  a  constant  incentive  to  return  to  its  prim- 
itive fervor. 


56 


CHAPTER  XVI 


"it  is  hard  to  rise  early  " 


|F  SOME  young  people  and  older  ones,  too, 
were  more  honest,  they  would  candidly  admit 
that  the  real  reason  which  keeps  them  from 
daily  Communion,  is  the  difficulty  of  rising 
early  and  going  fasting  to  the  church,  especially  on  a 
nipping  or  rainy  morning.  How  much  pleasanter,  to 
be  sure,  to  remain  cozily  under  the  blankets,  until  a 
hot  breakfast  is  ready,  than  to  face  the  cutting  wind 
and  make  one's  way  to  the  church  through  snow  drifts 
or  gusts  of  rain! 

The  country  lad  and  lassie  who  are  frequently  pre- 
vented by  distance  from  receiving  daily  Communion, 
at  least  give  good  example  to  their  city  cousins  on  the 
point  of  early  rising.  In  summer  at  the  first  grey 
streaks  of  dawn,  and  in  winter  by  the  light  of  the  stars 
long  before  the  rising  of  the  sun,  the  country  boy  is 
up  and  at  his  chores,  feeding  the  horses  and  cattle, 
milking  the  cows,  and  carrying  firewood.  Two  hours 
of  work  before  breakfast,  then  a  hurried  wrapping, 
and  the  long  tramp  over  muddy  or  frosty  roads  to 
school. 

What  our  red-cheeked  country  children  do  so  cheer- 
fully at  the  bidding  of  their  parents,  city  and  village 
children  should,  one  would  think,  be  willing  to  do  for 
God  and  the  benefit  of  their  own  souls.  To  waste  time 
lying  abed  of  a  morning,  when  all  nature  is  awaking 


57 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


to  the  praises  of  the  Creator,  seems  little  short  of 
criminal. 

Up  then,  my  young  friend,  when  you  are  called,  or 
the  alarm  goes  off.  There  is  One,  who  has  been  think- 
ing of,  and  guarding  you,  through  the  watches  of  the 
night,  and  now  He  is  waiting  for  you  at  the  church, 
to  come  and  receive  His  blessing  on  the  work  of  the 
day.  The  Scripture  tells  us  there  is  a  time  for  all 
things  (Ecclesiastes  iii),  a  time  of  war  and  a  time  of 
peace ;  a  time  to  weep  and  a  time  to  laugh ;  a  time  to 
mourn  and  even  a  time  to  dance;  and  so  there  must 
also  be  a  special  time  to  pray,  as  the  Psalmist  tells 
us,  "to  Thee  do  I  watch  at  break  of  day"  (Ps.  lxii:  1). 
Let  us  heed  the  words :  "In  the  morning  I  will  stand 
before  Thee"  (Ps.  v:  5),  and  join  our  voice  with  that 
of  all  living  creatures  in  sending  a  chorus  of  praise 
to  the  Lord,  Our  God. 


5* 


CHAPTER  XVII 


"i  MAKE  NO  PROGRESS  " 


ill 


I  HE  OBJECTION  to  frequent  Communion 
is  sometimes  made:  "Although  I  receive 
daily,  I  seem  to  make  little  or  no  spiritual 
progress,  I  lack  fervor,  commit  petty  faults, 
and  so  I  begin  to  doubt  its  advisability  for  me."  To  a 
person  who  made  this  complaint,  a  confessor  once 
said :  "How  long  have  you  practiced  daily  Com- 
munion ?"  "A  year,"  was  the  answer.  "And  during 
that  year  have  you  committed  a  mortal  sin?"  "Oh, 
no,  I  hope  not."  "Well,"  said  the  priest,  "if  daily 
Communion  keeps  you  from  offending  God  mortally 
for  a  whole  year,  it  would  seem  to  have  great  efficacy 
in  your  soul." 

What  would  you  say  to  one  who  would  complain, 
"I  do  not  notice  any  increase  of  weight  or  strength  in 
my  body,  so  it  is  evident  my  food  is  of  no  benefit  to 
me,  and  I  will  stop  eating"?  No  doubt  you  would 
reply:  "As  long  as  your  health  is  good,  it  is  a  sign 
that  your  food  is  keeping  up  your  vitality  and  strength, 
and  so  doing  what  it  is  intended  to  do.  Cease  eating 
for  only  a  short  time,  and  your  body  will  become  the 
prey  of  disease."  In  the  same  way,  if  our  Commun- 
ions preserve  the  vitality  of  our  souls  they  are  cer- 
tainly doing  much  for  us. 

"But  when  I  abstain  from  Communion  for  a  con- 


59 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


siderable  time,"  such  a  person  may  insist,  "I  feel 
greater  fervor,  which  would  seem  to  be  an  indication 
that  less  frequent  Communion  would  be  better  for 
my  devotion  and  spiritual  progress."  Retaining  the 
comparison  of  our  last  paragraph,  we  might  rejoin 
that  one  who  fasted  several  days  would  no  doubt  have 
a  ravenous  appetite  for  food,  but  it  would  not  follow 
that  his  health  would  be  benefited  in  proportion  to 
his  increase  of  appetite.  One  who  takes  moderate 
and  regular  meals  will  certainly,  as  a  rule,  have  better 
digestion  and  more  vigorous  health,  than  he  who  eats 
only  twice  or  thrice  a  week.  In  like  manner,  one  who 
communicates  daily,  will  as  a  rule  be  better  nourished 
spiritually  than  if  he  were  to  receive  only  once  a  week 
or  a  month,  even  if  he  has  not  the  same  sensible  devo- 
tion. 

The  remedy  for  one  who  feels  sluggish  and  torpid 
at  Communion  is  not  to  remain  away,  but  to  bestir 
himself  to  greater  devotion  in  its  reception,  to  pray 
more  fervently  and  be  more  vigilant  in  avoiding  faults. 
There  is  one  marked  difference  between  the  Eucharist 
and  common  bread,  as  we  are  told  by  the  Catechism  of 
the  Council  of  Trent :  "It  is  not,  like  bread  and  wine, 
changed  into  our  substance,  but  in  some  measure,  it 
changes  us  into  its  own  nature,  and  to  it  we  may  apply 
these  words  of  St.  Augustine:  'I  am  the  food  of  the 
grown;  grow  and  thou  shalt  partake  of  this  food; 
nor  shalt  thou  change  me  into  thee,  as  thou  dost  thy 
corporal  food,  but  thou  shalt  be  changed  into  me.' 99 

This  manner  of  speaking,  which  is  common  to  the 
Fathers  and  theologians,  does  not  mean  that  man's  sub- 
stance is  changed  into  God's,  but  it  signifies  the  inti- 
mate union  of  charity  between  Christ  and  the  soul 

60 


7  MAKE  NO  PROGRESS' 


effected  by  the  Eucharist,  and  also,  according  to  Car- 
dinal Franzelin  (de  Eucharistia,  pars  1,  thesis  19), 
a  "peculiar  relationship  by  which  Christ  the  spouse 
considers  the  flesh  of  those  who  worthily  eat  His  body 
and  drink  His  blood,  as  His  own  flesh  by  a  special 
title/'  And  thus  the  communicant  can  apply  to  him- 
self the  words  of  St.  Paul:  "I  live,  now  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me"  (Gal.  ii:  20). 

While,  then,  there  can  easily  be  a  surfeit  of  ordi- 
nary food,  which  happens  when  a  person  takes  more 
than  he  can  digest  or  assimilate,  there  cannot  be  a 
surfeit  of  the  Eucharistic  food,  whose  action  in  the 
Soul  is  entirely  different. 


6i 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


MARVELS  OF  THE  EUCHARIST 


mi 


|ITH  the  view  of  increasing  devotion  to  Our 
Lord  in  the  Blessed  Eucharist,  it  may  be  per- 
mitted to  narrate  some  striking  occurrences, 
which  are  vouched  for  by  reliable  witnesses. 

On  May  11th,  1907,  a  motherless  child,  not  quite 
four  years  of  age,  named  Nellie  Organ,*  was  brought 
to  the  Convent  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in  Cork,  Ireland. 
She  was  afflicted  with  curvature  of  the  spine  and  con- 
sumption, but  she  bore  all  her  sufferings  with  the 
greatest  patience;  and  when  they  became  most  acute, 
holding  a  crucifix  in  her  hand,  she  would  kiss  it  and 
whisper,  "Poor  Holy  God." 

So  much  intelligence  of  spiritual  .things  did  she 
show,  that  the  nuns  were  overjoyed,  when  the  Bishop 
informed  them  he  was  coming  to  give  Nellie  the  sac- 
rament of  Confirmation.  The  reception  of  this  sacra- 
ment developed  in  the  child  an  even  keener  sense  of 
the  spiritual,  and  especially  of  the  Blessed  Eucharist,  so 
that  an  intense  hunger  and  longing  to  receive  Com- 
munion took  possession  of  her.  Her  constant  prayer 
became,  "Give  me  the  Holy  God.    I  wish  the  Holy 


*See  "Little  Nellie  of  Holy  God,"  by  a  Priest  of  the 
Diocese  of  Cork. — Mission  Church  Press,  Boston. 


62 


MARVELS   OF   THE  EUCHARIST 


God.  Oh,  when  will  He  come  to  me?  I  wish  it,  oh, 
I  wish  it" 

These  soulful  pleadings  so  moved  the  Sisters,  that 
they  informed  a  Jesuit  father  of  the  wonderful  child 
and  her  great  desire.  He  questioned  her  closely  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  in  regard  to  the  knowledge 
and  understanding  of  the  Eucharist,  she  had  arrived 
at  the  use  of  reason.  The  Bishop,  being  informed  of 
this  opinion  of  the  priest,  gave  consent  for  the  child 
to  make  her  first  Communion. 

This  decision  brought  joy  to  the  whole  convent,  and 
"Nellie  of  Holy  God,"  as  she  is  called  on  account  of 
the  expression  which  was  so  frequent  in  her  mouth, 
being  now  four  years  and  three  months  of  age,  was 
carried  in  her  nurse's  arms  to  the  chapel,  where  a 
hush  of  reverence  and  awe  fell  upon  all,  as  the  priest 
approached  the  little  figure,  who  awaited  silent,  mo- 
tionless and  with  bowed  head,  the  coming  of  her 
Lord.  After  the  Mass,  the  child  lay,  all  day  long, 
in  her  little  cot,  making  her  thanksgiving  and  softly 
praying  with  joined  hands,  to  "Holy  God."  Thirty- 
two  times  in  the  less  than  two  months  preceding  her 
death,  she  received  the  Bread  of  Angels,  and  her 
thanksgiving,  which  at  times  resembled  ecstasy,  lasted 
several  hours.  Some  considerable  time  after  her 
death,  her  body  was  found  incorrupt  and  her  fingers 
flexible,  and  it  is  said  that  numerous  favors  have  been 
obtained  through  her  intercession. 

In  the  life  of  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna,  an  incident 
is  related  by  her  confessor,  Father  Raymond  of  Capua. 
One  morning  the  companions  of  the  saint  objected  to 
her  communicating,  as  it  wras  late,  and  they  feared 

6s 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


her  accustomed  ecstasy  after  Communion  might  de- 
tain them  too  long,  since  they  would  have  to  wait  to 
lock  the  church  door.  Father  Raymond  proceeded  to 
say  Mass,  not  even  knowing  that  Catherine  was  in 
the  church,  as  she  was  far  from  the  altar.  At  the 
first  breaking  of  the  Host,  It  divided  into  three  frag- 
ments instead  of  two.  One  particle  he  saw  descend 
toward  the  corporal,  but  on  looking  for  it,  he  could 
not  find  it.  After  Mass  he  again  resumed  his  search 
for  the  missing  particle,  but  without  result.  This 
distressed  him  even  to  tears,  and  later  he  disclosed 
his  anxiety  to  St.  Catherine,  who  said  smiling,  "You 
will  never  find  it." 

Seeing  her  so  calm,  he  suspected  some  hidden  mys- 
tery, and  pressing  her  for  an  explanation,  she  said: 
"I  yearned  for  Communion  this  morning,  but  being 
unwilling  to  cause  others  trouble,  I  resigned  myself 
to  God's  will;  and  He  Himself  deigned  to  appear  and 
give  me  the  particle  which  you  missed.,, 

In  the  thirteenth  century  lived  the  famous  Fran- 
ciscan, St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  of  whom  many  won- 
derful tales  are  told.  On  one  occasion  a  heretic  whom 
he  was  trying  to  convert  said  only  a  miracle  would 
cause  him  to  believe  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  and  the 
Saint,  inspired,  no  doubt,  from  heaven,  accepted  the 
challenge.  The  unbeliever  then  declared  that  he  would 
keep  his  mule  fasting  for  three  days,  and  on  the  fourth 
he  would  stand  in  the  public  square  with  his  animal 
and  a  bag  of  feed,  and  if  it  left  the  feed  to  adore 
the  Host,  he  would  be  convinced. 

At  the  appointed  time,  Anthony,  accompanied  by 
a  concourse  of  the  faithful,  carried  the  consecrated 
Host  in  procession  to  the  public  square,  where  he 

64 


MARVELS  OF  THE  EUCHARIST 


found  the  mule  impatiently  sniffing  at  the  fodder  car- 
ried by  its  master.  The  latter  then  threw  its  meal 
before  the  animal,  while  Anthony  commanded  it  in 
a  voice  of  authority  to  come  and  adore  its  Creator 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  The  famished  animal  im- 
mediately left  its  provender,  and  kneeling  down  with 
bent  head  before  the  Host,  remained  fixed  in  that  atti- 
tude. This  marvel  conquered  the  obstinacy  of  the 
heretic,  who  abjured  his  error,  and  thereafter  lived  a 
good  Catholic* 


The  Bollandists  give  as  authority  for  this  incident  the 
Chronicles  of  the  Order,  as  compiled  by  Father  Luke 
Wadding. 


65 


CHAPTER  XIX 


BECOMING  A  EUCHARISTIC  APOSTLE 


|  HEN  we  love  a  person,  we  delight  in  telling 
others  of  his  virtues  and  charms.  We  want 
every  one  to  know  and  admire  our  hero  or 
heroine.  And  one  who  is  enamored  of  his 
Eucharistic  Lord  should  never  tire  reciting  His  adora- 
ble perfections  to  others,  endeavoring  to  make  them 
sharers  in  the  blandishments  which  He  lavishes  upon 
His  favorites. 

Jealousy  may  insinuate  itself  into  human  love,  as 
when  we  desire  to  appropriate  the  entire  affection  of 
a  creature  to  ourselves.  But  in  Divine  love  there  is 
no  room  for  so  human  a  sentiment,  since  an  Infinite 
Being  has  a  boundless  ocean  of  personal  love  and 
affection  for  each  creature,  and  the  more  He  bestows 
upon  one,  the  more  He  has  left  for  others.  His  love 
for  each  intelligent  creature  is  as  intense,  as  though 
it  were  the  only  one  in  existence. 

One  who  falls  under  the  spell  of  his  Eucharistic 
Saviour  longs  to  bring  others  under  the  influence  of 
the  same  attraction.  But  how  make  new  recruits,  and 
increase  the  number  of  His  votaries?  A  young  per- 
son may  think  within  himself,  if  only  he  were  a  priest, 
he  could  ever  speak  of  the  hidden  treasures  of  Love, 
he  could  preach  to  men  the  pleasures  and  delights  of 
self-devotion  and  sacrifice;  or  if  only  he  were  privi- 
leged to  be  a  martyr,  he  could  show  his  fidelity  even 

66 


BECOMING  A   EUCHARISTIC  APOSTLE 


to  death,  after  the  example  of  the  youth,  Tarsicius,  in 
ancient  Rome,  who  died  rather  than  betray  to  the  ene- 
mies of  the  faith  the  Sacred  Host  which  he  carried 
upon  his  person.  But,  alack !  what  can  simple  boy  or 
maid  do  in  our  times  to  bring  others  nearer  to  Christ  ? 

And  yet  there  are  single-hearted  young  people  to-day 
who  are  themselves  daily  communicants,  and  do  much 
to  win  others  to  the  service  of  their  Lord.  If  you 
desire  to  get  up  a  picnic  or  excursion,  a  game  or  a 
little  charitable  enterprise  among  your  companions,  do 
you  not  find  the  ways  and  means  ?  And  are  you  help- 
less, only  when  piety  and  deeds  of  pure  charity  are  in 
question  ?  The  writer  has  known  more  than  one  group 
of  young  people  to  unite  in  a  holy  conspiracy  to  pro- 
mote daily  Communion  in  a  class  or  coterie  of  fervent 
souls.  Why  not  begin  with  one?  Speak  to  your  most 
intimate  friend,  and  persuade  him  or  her  to  join  you 
in  your  holy  practice.  And  two  can  attract  two  more, 
until  the  good  work  will  spread  like  leaven  in  a  mass. 

Pius  X  apparently  favored  this  apostolate  of  young 
people,  for  he  indulgenced  a  beautiful  prayer,  whose 
object  is  to  spread  and  promote  the  practice  of  daily 
Communion.  It  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  book- 
let. Begin  by  saying  this  prayer  daily  yourself ;  and 
then  ask  your  teacher  to  have  it  said  occasionally  in 
class  by  all  the  pupils.  If  a  person  can  once  be 
induced  to  pray  for  the  spread  of  daily  Communion, 
he  will  certainly  feel  the  impulse  to  begin  the  practice 
himself ;  and  thus  devotion  to  Holy  Communion  will 
extend  in  ever-widening  circles. 

Every  Catholic  school,  too,  should  have  some  spir- 
itual reading  in  common,  say  a  quarter  or  half  hour 


67 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


each  week.  Surely  this  much  time  could  be  spared  for 
that  most  important  of  all  objects,  the  deepening  of 
the  spiritual  life  of  the  pupils  or  students.  And  there 
are  most  beautiful  books  for  this  purpose,  on  Com- 
munion, the  lives  of  the  saints,  and  similar  topics, 
which  all  would  find  a  pleasure  in  hearing  or  reading. 
Does  that  custom  prevail  in  your  school?  If  not,  why 
not  ask  your  teacher  to  introduce  it,  for  probably  she 
will  only  be  too  glad  to  do  so? 

Join,  then,  the  "wide-awake  club,"  and  be  alert  to 
assist  your  neighbor  and  help  him  to  be  good.  Unite 
with  your  companions  and  teacher,  and  endeavor  by 
prayer,  example  and  timely  word  to  bring  others  to 
greater  love  of  Our  Lord  in  the  Eucharist.  Get  your 
companions  to  drop  into  the  church  with  you  for  a 
little  visit,  show  them  this  little  book  and  ask  them 
to  read  it.  St.  Vincent  Ferrer,  when  a  little  boy,  used 
to  gather  his  playmates  and  preach  to  them  the  ser- 
mons he  had  heard.  At  least  imitate  his  spirit,  and 
in  your  confidential  conversations  with  others,  try  to 
draw  them  away  from  evil  and  toward  what  is  good. 


68 


CHAPTER  XX 


SODALITY  EUCHARISTIC  SECTIONS  OR  GUILDS 


NE  of  the  most  efficient  ways  to  promote  daily 
Communion  is  by  means  of  sodalities.  Father 
Francis  Xavier  Wernz,  the  late  General  of  the 
Jesuits,  was  an  ardent  advocate  of  this  prac- 
tice, and  amongst  the  rules  which  he  framed,  in  1910, 
for  all  Jesuit  sodalities,  the  thirty-ninth  is  worthy  of 
special  notice.  In  this  he  says  that  sodalists  should 
consider  the  exhortation  to  daily  Communion,  which 
is  addressed  by  the  Church  to  all,  as  especially  pertain- 
ing to  themselves,  and  hence  each  should  strive  to 
practice  it. 

But  he  was  not  satisfied  with  this  general  direction. 
He  desired  that  sections  or  guilds  be  established  in 
Jesuit  sodalities  for  various  good  works,  intended  pri- 
marily either  to  sanctify  the  sodalists  themselves  or 
to  assist  their  neighbor  (Sodality  of  Our  Lady  studied 
in  the  Documents,  par.  477,  478,  Mullan).  These 
sodality  sections  have  been  in  existence  for  many  years, 
a  notable  instance  being  found  in  the  great  Sodality  of 
Barcelona,  where  divisions  exist  for  fostering  piety 
amongst  the  sodalists,  for  visiting  hospitals  and  dis- 
tributing clothes,  and  for  the  spread  of  the  faith,  under 
which  last  section  were  managed  boys'  clubs,  cate- 
chism classes,  a  school,  lecture  bureau,  and  home  for 
working  youths. 

While  these  sodality  sections  are  centuries  old,  it 
69 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


remained  for  the  Eucharistic  section  to  receive  the 
honor  of  the  first  express  approbation  of  the  Holy 
See.  In  a  letter  to  the  Very  Rev.  Rudolph  Meyer, 
S.  J.,  of  St.  Louis,  dated  November  28th,  1910,  Father 
General  Wernz  reports  an  audience  he  had  with  Pope 
Pius  X,  in  which  he  told  him  of  the  Eucharistic 
league  or  section  which  existed  among  the  sodalists 
of  various  Jesuit  colleges  in  the  United  States,  whose 
members  endeavored  to  assist  at  daily  Mass,  to  receive 
Communion  daily  or  at  least  three  times  a  week,  to 
make  a  visit  once  a  day,  as  well  as  to  induce  others  to 
the  same  pious  practices.  The  Holy  Father  was  so 
pleased  to  hear  this,  that  he  at  once  imparted  to  each 
and  every  member  of  these  sections,  and  to  their  direc- 
tors, a  special  apostolic  benediction  (Mullan,  2047, 
2048). 

Wherever  these  frequent  Communion  guilds  or  asso- 
ciations exist,  they  have  accomplished  wonders  in 
drawing  their  members  to  closer  union  with  Our  Lord, 
in  enabling  them  to  lead  innocent,  holy  lives,  and 
spread  the  aroma  of  virtue  about  them.  As  intimated 
in  the  document  issued  by  Father  Wernz,  the  benefits 
of  this  section  are  not  restricted  to  sodalists,  but  the 
members  are  expected  to  exert  their  influence  on 
others.  Father  Mullan  (par.  476)  says  that  Eucharistic 
sections  "add  to  the  practice  of  frequent  Communion 
that  of  drawing  others  to  so  holy  an  exercise/' 

This  promotion  of  frequent  Communion  has  now 
become  one  of  the  commonest  works  of  modern  sodal- 
ists (Mullan,  par.  481).  A  Young  Ladies'  Sodality 
at  Mosontarcsa  in  Hungary  began  by  introducing  gen- 
eral Communions,  then  Communions  on  every  Sunday, 
with  the  result  that  the  number  of  Communions  in- 


70 


SODALITY  EUCHARISTIC  SECTIONS  OR  GUILDS 


creased  in  the  parish  from  four  thousand  six  hundred 
and  fifty  in  1908  to  ten  thousand  and  fifty-six  in  eight 
months  of  1910. 

Young  readers  who  belong  to  a  sodality,  where  the 
Eucharistic  guild  is  established,  will  do  well  to  join 
it,  and  if  this  section  has  not  yet  been  organized,  per- 
haps a  few  words  of  persuasion  on  their  part  may 
induce  their  sodality  director  to  take  up  this  apostolic 
work. 


7i 


CHAPTER  XXI 


VISITING  WITH  OUR  LORD 


|  HEN  the  Franciscan  Saint,  Paschal  Bay  Ion, 
who  was  chosen  by  Pope  Leo  XIII,  patron  of 
Eucharistic  associations,  was  a  little  child  and 
before  he  could  walk,  he  one  day  disappeared 
from  home.  His  mother  searched  every  nook  of  the 
house  without  finding  him,  and  then  almost  distracted 
hastened  into  the  streets,  inquiring  of  every  one  she 
met  whether  he  had  seen  her  little  Paschal.  Finally 
she  entered  the  church,  where  to  her  great  surprise 
and  delight,  she  found  him  sprawling  on  the  altar 
steps,  whither  he  had  crawled;  and  there,  oblivious 
of  his  surroundings,  with  eyes  riveted  on  the  Taber- 
nacle, his  little  soul  seemed  absorbed  in  contemplation. 

This  saint  began  early  his  marked  devotion  to  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  in  which  he  is  a  model  to  the 
young,  and  which  led  finally  to  his  canonization.  We 
all  like  to  receive  visits  from  our  friends.  Even  tiny 
children  enjoy  the  company  of  others  of  their  own 
age.  And  Christ  in  the  Eucharist  has  not  lost  His 
human  nature.  While  on  earth,  He  took  pleasure  in 
the  company  of  His  friends;  He  visited  their  homes, 
and  sat  at  their  table;  He  shared  the  glory  of  His 
transfiguration  with  His  intimate  apostles,  and  in 
His  agony  asked  them  to  watch  with  Him. 

In  His  Eucharistic  existence,  He  still  yearns  for 
companionship,  making  Himself  accessible  at  all  times 

7* 


VISITING   WITH  OUR  LORD 


to  the  most  lowly  and  unfortunate.  At  any  hour 
of  the  day,  you  can  have  recourse  to  Him  in  the 
Tabernacle,  where  you  will  find  Him  ready  to  com- 
mune with  you  in  the  outpouring  of  soul  to  soul, 
to  listen  to  your  sighs  of  love,  your  words  of  adora- 
tion, thanksgiving  and  petition.  There  are  some  re- 
ligious orders  which  bind  themselves  by  rule  never 
to  leave  Our  Lord  alone  in  their  chapel;  but  night 
and  day  some  member  of  the  community  is  always 
kneeling  in  silent  adoration  before  Him. 

How  thoughtless  we  are  to  pass  before  the  church 
or  chapel  door  so  often,  without  entering  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  Prisoner  of  Love.  It  will  not  take 
long,  only  a  moment  or  two,  to  genuflect  before 
Him,  and  say  that  our  heart  is  still  true  to  Him.  It  is 
only  a  moment,  but  what  a  precious  one;  how  glad 
He  is  to  see  us  and  what  a  sweet  smile  He  bestows 
upon  us,  as  He  picks  out  from  His  treasure  box 
some  new  ornament  of  affection  to  deck  our  soul. 
And  as  we  pass  out  with  reverence  from  His  pres- 
ence, His  eyes  follow  us  with  fondest  regard,  never 
losing  sight  of  us,  until  we  return  again. 

But  what  shall  we  say  to  Jesus  in  our  brief  visits? 
It  is  not  really  necessary  to  say  much,  if  only  we 
gaze  upon  Him  with  tenderness.  What  depths  of 
affection  may  be  contained  in  the  simple  ejaculation, 
"My  Jesus,  I  love  Thee,  I  give  Thee  my  heart  and 
soul,  I  wish  to  be  entirely  Thine !"  Say  but  this, 
and  He  will  understand  the  rest.  After  all,  words 
are  but  a  poor  envelope  of  love.  Mother  understands 
it  all,  when  we  desire  to  be  near  her,  while  we  are 
studying  or  reading  or  working,  even  if  we  do  not 
utter  a  word.    Just  to  be  in  her  presence  is  enough 


73 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


to  make  us  happy  and  contend,  and  to  have  us  by 
is  sufficient  for  her  maternal  heart.  Jesus,  too,  is 
satisfied  when  He  sees  us  kneel  before  Him  and  give 
Him  a  look  of  affection,  for  He  is  quick  to  under- 
stand the  language  of  love,  even  when  not  translated 
into  words. 

And  what  a  splendid  opportunity  does  the  chapel 
visit  give  for  spiritual  Communion!  How  easy  and 
sweet  to  say:  "Jesus>  come  to  me!  Gladly  would  I 
receive  Thee  now  in  Holy  Communion,  but  as  this 
cannot  be,  I  pray  Thee,  come  spiritually  into  my  soul, 
and  make  me  love  Thee  more  ardently  and  serve 
Thee  better."  This  is  a  spiritual  Communion,  and 
the  oftener  we  make  it,  a  dozen,  a  hundred  times  a 
day,  the  better  prepared  shall  we  be  for  the  actual 
reception  of  the  Eucharist  on  the  morrow. 

Nor  is  it  even  necessary  actually  to  visit  Our  Lord. 
When  prevented  by  distance  or  duty  from  doing  so, 
we  can  often  turn  in  spirit  while  engaged  at  our 
work,  to  the  nearest  Tabernacle,  and  there  offer  Our 
Lord  the  homage  of  our  adoration,  and  tell  Him  our 
soul  is  ever  watching  with  Him,  and  desiring  to  re- 
ceive Him. 

In  this  you  can  imitate  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
who,  when  forbidden  in  her  childhood  days  to  visit 
the  Church,  sought  refuge  in  some  remote  corner  of 
the  garden  or  house,  and  there  kneeling  unobserved, 
poured  forth  her  heart's  affection  with  tears  to  God, 
begging  the  Blessed  Virgin,  her  mother,  to  present 
her  offering  to  her  son. 


74 


CHAPTER  XXII 


CONFESSION 


VERY  practical  question  with  the  daily 
communicant  is  how  often  he  should  go  to 
confession.  Every  well-instructed  Catholic 
knows  that  a  mortal  sin  must  always  keep 
one  from  Communion,  until  he  has  first  made  a  good 
confession.  But  if  no  grievous  stain  defiles  the  soul, 
there  is  no  necessity  of  going  to  confession.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  while  on  earth  never  received  absolu- 
tion; she  was  incapable  of  it,  as  she  never  committed 
the  least  fault,  and  yet  it  is  piously  believed  that 
in  common  with  the  early  Christians  she  was  a  daily 
communicant. 

In  practice,  however,  the  most  fervent  Christians 
are  generally  found  the  most  frequently  at  the  tribu- 
nal of  penance;  for  they  realize  better  than  others 
that  this  sacrament  frees  us  from  venial  sins  as  well 
as  mortal,  and,  besides  giving  an  increase  of  sancti- 
fying grace,  affords  many  graces  to  avoid  relapse  in 
the  future.  Its  effect  is  to  give  purity  and  delicacy 
of  conscience;  and  where,  for  some  reason,  frequent 
Communion  is  impossible,  confessors  have  found  by 
experience  that  weekly  or  even  more  frequent  confes- 
sion serves  to  an  extent  as  a  substitute. 

St.  Philip  Neri,  that  most  lovable  saint,  had  a  peni- 
tent who  was  such  a  slave  to  a  habit  of  mortal  sin 
that  he  fell  almost  daily.    The  Saint  gave  him  no 


75 


SHALL  I  BE  A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


other  penance,  than  to  return  to  confession  after 
each  offense,  without  waiting  for  a  second  fall.  The 
penitent  obeyed,  and  kept  coming  back  with  his  same 
story,  until  gradually  falling  less  and  less  frequently, 
he  became  entirely  freed  in  a  few  months  not  only 
from  that  sin,  but  from  many  others ;  and  finally  ended 
by  attaining  such  holiness  that  St.  Philip  declared  he 
had  become  an  angel. 

Such  then  is  the  force  and  efficacy  of  confession  in 
itself,  and  the  frequent  communicant  will  be  only  too 
glad  to  take  advantage  of  it,  if  for  no  other  reason 
than  to  obtain  that  great  purity  of  soul,  which  is  so 
becoming  for  Communion.  This  purity  of  heart,  con- 
fession produces  partly  by  directly  remitting  venial 
sin.  The  Eucharist,  it  is  true,  also  cleanses  faults, 
but  according  to  some  theologians  only  indirectly, 
namely,  by  a  copious  infusion  of  actual  graces  which 
lead  to  ardent  acts  of  charity  by  which  venial  sins 
are  purged  away.  At  any  rate,  all  must  admit  that 
the  greater  the  purity  of  the  soul  before  Communion, 
the  more  intense  will  be  its  results,  and  this  better 
preparation  is  certainly  secured  in  a  sincere  con- 
fession. 

Can  then  a  practical  rule  be  given  for  the  frequency 
of  confession?  It  will  probably  be  admitted  that  a 
daily  communicant,  who  wilfully  and  without  necessity 
postpones  his  confession  longer  than  a  month,  delib- 
erately deprives  himself  of  an  available  source  of 
grace.  We  should  then  endeavor  to  confess  at  least 
monthly.  But  penitents  who  desire  the  greatest  purity 
of  heart,  will  if  possible,  follow  the  custom  of  most 
religious  orders  and  pious  people,  and  endeavor  to 
make  a  confession  every  week. 

76 


CONFESSION 


This  practice  of  weekly  confession  has  special  ad- 
vantages for  the  young,  who  in  the  course  of  a 
month  might  fall  into  a  number  of  perplexing  cir- 
cumstances and  doubtful  sins,  which,  if  disregarded, 
may  give  rise  to  anxiety,  and  even  plunge  them  into 
the  mazes  of  a  doubtful  or  erroneous  conscience. 
The  frequent  direction  of  a  prudent  confessor  under 
such  conditions,  is  advantageous  to  every  one,  and  to 
younger  persons  sometimes  even  necessary. 

Some  preachers  or  writers  may  hesitate  to  recom- 
mend weekly  confession  for  fear  that  the  difficulty  of 
practicing  it  may  hinder  daily  Communion.  They 
reason  thus:  "It  is  advisable  for  every  one  in  a  parish 
or  school  to  receive  daily,  but,  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  priests  and  the  engrossing  occupations  of  the  faith- 
ful, weekly  confession  is  often  impracticable;  hence, 
if  it  be  urged,  timorous  souls  who  cannot  practice  it 
will  abstain  from  daily  Communion;  and  moreover 
priests  will  be  reluctant  to  promote  frequent  Com- 
munion for  fear  of  being  overwhelmed  with  confes- 
sional work." 

Where  such  conditions  exist,  all,  young  and  old, 
will  have  to  be  satisfied  with  monthly  or  bi-weekly 
confession.  But  at  the  same  time  there  are  many 
places,  especially  in  the  churches  of  religious  orders, 
and  in  colleges  and  boarding  schools,  where  confessors 
are  numerous,  or  at  least  are  not  overburdened  with 
work,  and  so  every  facility  is  offered  for  weekly  con- 
fession. Where  this  is  the  case,  it  would  seem  only 
reasonable  to  encourage  the  young  to  take  advantage 
of  it. 

As  a  special  privilege  of  daily  communicants,  Pope 
Pius  X,  on  Feb.  14th,  1906,  issued  a  decree  permitting 


77 


SHALL  I  BE   A   DAILY  COMMUNICANT? 


them  to  gain  all  the  indulgences  (except  those  of  a 
jubilee),  without  the  weekly  confession  which  would 
otherwise  be  required,  and  this  in  favor  even  of 
those  who  omit  the  daily  Communion  once  or  twice 
a  week. 

Another  instance  of  the  trend  of  later  Church  legis- 
lation to  favor  frequency  of  Communion  rather  than 
of  confession,  is  to  be  found  in  the  decree  of  April 
23rd,  1914,  which  allows  all,  even  those  who  are  not 
daily  communicants  or  weekly  penitents,  to  gain 
plenary  indulgences  for  which  confession  is  required, 
provided  they  have  been  to  confession  within  the 
preceding  eight  days,  and  the  confessor  makes  no 
objection. 

Another  admonition  given  in  the  decree  on  frequent 
Communion  tells  us,  "that  the  practice  of  frequent 
and  daily  Communion  may  be  carried  out  with  greater 
prudence  and  more  abundant  merit,  the  confessor's 
advice  should  be  asked."  This  does  not  mean,  as  some 
imagine,  that  the  priest's  sanction  or  permission  must 
be  obtained  for  each  Communion.  In  fact  the  con- 
fessor does  not  give  a  permission  at  all,  as  none  is 
needed  by  one  who  is  in  the  state  of  grace.  He  merely 
sanctions  or  approves  your  communicating  frequently, 
or  perhaps  under  certain  circumstances  advises  you  to 
receive  less  often;  and  his  approval  may  generally  be 
presumed  if  you  have  obtained  it  on  a  previous 
occasion. 

Most  confessors  like  their  penitents  to  tell  them  how 
often  they  have  communicated  since  their  last  con- 
fession, as  this  gives  them  a  better  idea  of  the  state 
of  their  conscience.    If  a  frequent  communicant  al- 

78 


CONFESSION 


ways  does  this  in  confession,  and  the  priest  makes 
no  remark,  it  may  be  taken  as  a  tacit  expression  of 
the  confessor's  approval. 

A  PARTING  WISH 

And  now,  gentle  reader,  before  closing  these  pages, 
take  with  you  the  writer's  parting  wish,  that  often 
receiving  your  Eucharistic  God  under  the  sacramental 
veil,  in  this  life,  you  may  merit,  at  the  dawn  of  end- 
less day,  to  see  Him  face  to  face,  and  be  united  with 
Him  in  the  fullness  of  joy  and  glory  forevermore. 


79 


PRAYER  FOR  SPREADING  THE  PRACTICE  OF 
DAILY   HOLY  COMMUNION 


MOST  sweet  Jesus !  Who  didst  come  into  this 
world  to  impart  to  all  souls  the  life  of  Thy 
grace,  and  Who,  to  preserve  and  foster  it  in 
them,  hast  willed  to  become  the  daily  food  of 
their  daily  infirmity,  we  humbly  beseech  Thee  through 
Thy  Sacred  Heart,  burning  with  love  for  us,  to  pour 
out  Thy  Divine  Spirit  upon  all  souls,  in  order  that  those 
who,  unhappily,  are  in  mortal  sin  may  be  converted 
to  Thee  and  recover  the  life  of  grace  which  they 
have  lost,  and  that  those  wTho  by  Thy  help  are  al- 
ready living  with  this  Divine  Life,  may,  when  it  is 
possible  for  them,  approach  Thy  Holy  Table  every 
day;  so  that  daily  receiving  in  Holy  Communion  the 
antidote  of  their  daily  venial  sins,  and  daily  nourishing 
in  themselves  the  life  of  Thy  grace,  thus  ever  puri- 
fying their  souls  more  and  more — they  may  at  last 
arrive  at  the  possession  of  the  life  of  Eternal  Happi- 
ness. Amen. 

Indulgetice:  a — Three  hundred  days  if  said  once  a  day. 
b — Plenary  Indulgence  once  a  month  if  said  every  day 
for  a  month,  provided  you  go  to  Confession,  receive  Holy 
Communion,  visit  a  Church  or  Public  Oratory  and  pray 
for  the  intention  of  the  Pope. 


80 


